Fire Emblem Awakening: Chronicles of the Fell Dragon War
by ServantofGrima
Summary: Found in the middle of a field, with no memories to call his own, Drake quickly leaves an impression on Prince Chrom, and joins the Shepherds as their new Tactician. But, strange stirrings have popped up all over Ylisse. Are they connected to Drake's lost memories? Or is it an entirely different, yet still heinous, plot? Join the Shepherds and find out during the Fell Dragon War!
1. Chapter 1

Fire Emblem Awakening: Chronicles of the Fell Dragon War

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! This is The Servant of Grima, here with a new story, based on Fire Emblem: Awakening. Not only will this be my first story on , this will be my first time delving into writing a Fire Emblem Fanfiction. I am currently writing a League of Legends Fanfiction and the first in a Pokémon Fanfiction series, so I have a lot on my plate. This story would not have been possible without inspiration from Amy47101's FE Fanfiction, "Fire Emblem Awakening: Unbreakable Ties" and metallover's FE Fanfiction, "Fire Emblem Awakening: Invisible Ties". The story will, for the most part, follow the plotline of Awakening, with a few differentiations thrown in here and there. So, without further ado, here's the prologue!**

**Prologue**

_The shining blade pierced through the dark barrier that sealed the door to the throne room, shattering it instantly. The blade's wielder, a young man no older than twenty-four, rammed his left shoulder into the door, throwing them open with such force that they left two craters in the walls they were connected to. He ran into the room, his blue eyes fixed on the figure poised in the center of the room. He was an imposing man, a powerful Sorcerer whose red eyes shined with darkness and bloodlust. He turned to the blue-eyed swordsman, and sneered._

_"Fool!" he said, his hands crackling with dark magic, "Do you really think you can defeat me? No matter how much you struggle, you cannot change what is already written!" The Sorcerer sent out bolts of dark lightning from his hands, which the swordsman quickly dodged._

_"Let me tell you something, Validar," the man said, his blade shining ever brighter, "I make my own future. And it's not one you'll live to see!" He swiftly dashed at Validar, but the Sorcerer flew into the air, dodging the strike. From his hands came three black rings which circled around Validar for a few moments before exploding outward, striking the swordsman head on._

_He felt the darkness' paralytic attributes kicking in moments later, and fell down to one knee, his sword clattering to the ground beside him. Validar laughed mockingly, and floated down, surrounding his left hand in a shroud of shadow._

_"And so ends the great Prince Chrom of Ylisse. I'll make sure to send your final words to your wife and daughter, even though they'll be on their way to meet you soon enough." Suddenly, a blast of lightning came from the hallway and struck Validar straight in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards and lose his concentration. The paralysis raking Chrom's body slowly faded, and, grabbing his sword, he turned to the doorway to look at his savior._

_A hooded figure, somewhere around twenty-one years of age, ran into the throne room, a yellow Tome in his left hand. Small bolts of lightning danced across his right arm, and a Silver Sword hung from a sheath at his hip. "Chrom," he said, grabbing a vulnerary from his belt, "I told you not to run off like that! You could've been killed!" Taking the healing bottle from his Tactician, the prince swallowed a small amount of the crystal clear liquid before placing the cork back in._

_"Well, I didn't die, now did I?" he said, a small smirk on his face. By this time, Validar had regained his composure, and glared at the Ylissian duo before floating into the air, darkness swirling around him._

_"Well, it looks like the Prince's little lapdog has saved his master once again," he sneered with slight irritation. Drawing a dark violet Tome from his robes, he used the darkness around him to open it and hold it afloat. "But it doesn't matter, as your fates have already been forged! You cannot change destiny!"_

_Chrom and the Tactician glared at Validar, and prepared themselves for battle. "This is it, Drake, our final battle!" Chrom exclaimed, brandishing his sword. Drake quickly glanced at Chrom, confused as to how Chrom could still trust him, even though he knew fully well what he was. "You're too easy to read sometimes, you know?" the Prince said, catching the Tactician off guard. "You're one of us Drake, a Shepherd. No matter what, no 'destiny' will ever change the bonds that we have forged. Now, let's kill this bastard and be done with it!"_

_Drake nodded, and cast another lightning spell to deflect a dark energy sphere headed straight for Chrom. Chrom then ran at the floating Validar, and leapt into the air, slashing down with all his might. The Sorcerer flew out of the way, avoiding the strike, only to be struck in the back by another bolt of lightning. Validar fell to the ground, his Tome falling out of his reach. Drake stashed his Tome, and drew his sword. Running at Validar, he thrust the blade at him, only for the Sorcerer to catch the blade in his shadow-coated hands._

_"Drake," he hissed, his voice betraying no emotion, "Why do you insist on continuing to play these games? You're only delaying the inevitable. And besides, have you considered the alternative? What should happen if I fall? Those followers of Naga will spurn you for the rest of their lives, now that they know what you are." Flinging the sword back, Validar quickly drew a short blade that looked more like an ornamental dagger than an actual weapon. Drake slashed at the insane man, only to find himself in a blade-lock with Validar. They slid their blades closer to their bodies, each trying to overpower the other._

_"And if you kill me, you'll incur the wrath of the Grimleal…Would you really choose to be so utterly alone?" Chrom ran at Validar, causing him to break the blade-lock and leap back, away from the deadly blades. "Humans are weak, pathetic creatures…Your 'bonds' with them will bind you. You're destined for a greater purpose…The greatest purpose! You are to become a God!" He laughed maniacally, and was caught off guard when Drake ran at him. He tried to dodge the sword, but it was too late. Drake's blade found its mark, and, with one final attack from Chrom, delivered the killing blow._

_Drake leaned closer to the dying body of Validar and whispered into his ear. "…Not your god," he said, so low that only the two of them heard it, "Not today, and not ever." Validar fell to the ground, the darkness within him pouring out like blood from a normal human. Chrom and Drake looked at the body for a moment, before the Prince turned to congratulate Drake. A dark, echoing voice broke through the silence of the room, and it came from Validar. "This isn't over," it screamed, before Validar conjured a dark sphere between his hands. "Damn you both!" He fired the ball at Chrom, who had no time to dodge, and it nearly hit its target. However, Drake shoved Chrom aside at the last second, and took the blast for the Prince._

_Drake's vision went blank for a moment, and then he fell, hitting his head on the ground. " Drake!" Chrom cried out. He quickly sheathed his sword, and ran to Drake, sitting him up straight. He uncorked the vulnerary, and gave the rest of the liquid to Drake. "You all right?" Drake's eyes regained their composure, and he slid a hand up to his temple. He pulled it back to see it slightly covered in blood._

_"I…I'm fine, Chrom," he said, slowly shaking his head. "It's nothing that Lissa or Maribelle can't fix." Chrom stared at Drake for a moment, skeptical, before helping him up. The two turned to Validar's body, which was being consumed by a violet flame, before it disappeared entirely. "It's finally over, Chrom."_

_"Yeah," the Prince replied. "Thanks to you, we carried the day." Drake's eyes slightly widened, as it seemed like he could barely hear Chrom's words, like someone had placed wax in his ears. "We can rest easy now. At long last…" Chrom continued, unaware of Drake's shock. Suddenly, the Tactician's outer vision started to crackle with a bright red sheen. Drake clutched his head, which was starting to convulse in pain, and moaned slightly._

_Chrom heard the small noise, and turned to Drake, a look of worry flashing in his eyes. "Hey, are you sure you're fine, Drake?" he asked. "Hey…Hey! Hang on, I'll-!" His words were cut off as a blade of lightning pierced through his torso. Drake's vision returned to normal, and he saw the man who had saved his life two years ago mortally wounded in front of him. Drake looked around, trying to find out who could've gotten so close to Chrom without either of them noticing, but he suddenly felt a sickening feeling rising in his throat, and looked at his hand. Sparks danced across his palm, and he knew instantly that he had betrayed his friend._

_ "Chrom!" he cried, staring at the Prince, tears forming in his eyes. "I…I don't know what happened, I…I swear! Please forgive-!" Chrom placed a shaky hand on Drake's shoulder, causing the Tactician to cease his panicked apology._

_"This is not your…Your fault," he said weakly, his eyes reflecting forgiveness in them. "Drake…Promise me…You'll escape from this place. Please…Go…" With his last words spoken, Chrom collapsed to the ground, and breathed his last._

_"No…Chrom, no!" Drake cried hysterically, shaking his friend in the hopes that he was only unconscious. "You can't go! You can't leave us! What about Lissa, or…or your family? They need you…The Shepherds need you…" Drake started to choke on his words, his tears splashing down onto Chrom's face and the tiled floor. "Please…Don't go…" Laughter echoed throughout Drake's head, and he tilted his head back, releasing a wail of despair and rage._

_"CHROM!"_

**It seems that we're given a glimpse into the future (or is it the past?), and it already depicts the death of a main character by a trusted friend. Exciting stuff, ain't it? See you guys in the next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

Fire Emblem Awakening: Chronicles of the Fell Dragon War

**Author's Note: Welcome back, loyal readers! This is The Servant of Grima, back with more of Fire Emblem Awakening: Chronicles of the Fell Dragon War (which will be referred to as The Fell Dragon Chronicles from now on). Before we begin this chapter, I want to make a few things clear. First, the main story of Fire Emblem: Awakening will not be drastically changed from what it was in the game: only a few things will change, as well as some additions of my own creation. Second, some of the pairings in the story will go against what some players may consider 'canon', or may not even be possible in-game. Before anyone flames me for such digression, I wish to tell you that I am not trying to offend anyone with my pairing choices. So, please, respect my opinions. Finally, I wish to clarify on different font types that will be presented in the story, so here's the full list:**

**Bold**=Taguel and manakete speech when in their transformed states, author's notes.

_Italics_=Describing dreams or visions, thoughts.

_**Bold+Italics**_=Risen speech.

**Bold+Underlined**=Chapter titles.

Normal Text=No special meaning.

"_Italics"_=Telepathic speech, speech during visions or dreams.

ALL CAPS (IN ANY FONT)=Grima's speech in either Dragon-God or Human Form.

**Well, with all that said and done, here's chapter one!**

**Chapter One**

The crystal clear waters of the river shone beautifully in the midday sunlight, the scales of the fish within reflecting the light in hundreds of ways. Prince Chrom of Ylisse cast his gaze into the mesmerizing waters, and sighed. It wasn't every day that he could get away from his duties and be at peace like this, away from the hustle and bustle of life as the Exalt's younger brother. He stood up, and, taking his sword, Falchion, out of its sheath, he began to spar with the air.

"Be careful, milord," a voice warned him from behind. "'It wouldn't be good if you fell in and ruined your clothes." Chrom sighed, and turned around, staring at the man behind him. The man looked to be about twenty-two years old, with short, chocolate brown hair and black-green eyes. He mostly wore armor that was cobalt blue in color with some white, but he had a dark blue dress shirt underneath the chestplate. He looked at Chrom with a wary, yet focused, gaze, his face showing no signs of emotion whatsoever.

"Honestly, Frederick," Chrom sighed, unconsciously rubbing his temple, "Must you be so serious about everything?" The Great Knight nodded, and rubbed the head of his mount.

"I must, milord," he said stalely, "If I can't keep you safe, then who could?" Just then, a young girl, no older than seventeen, walked up from behind Frederick, and giggled.

"Oh, leave my brother alone, Frederick," she said, her blond hair, which was tied in two pigtails, shifting slightly with her voice. "The river's only ankle deep or something. The worst that can happen would be a bruised ego." Chrom smiled at his younger sister, and chuckled.

"Considering if I even did fall in," he said, causing his sister to giggle again.

"But, milord-!" Frederick started to say, before he was interrupted by the girl whacking him with her staff. Rubbing his head, he glared at the girl, before quickly looking away from her piercing silver blue eyes. "Sorry, milady," he mumbled. It was at this moment that Frederick saw something strange with the river. "Milord, behind you." Chrom turned to the river, and saw the water turn red. The girl noticed, and walked up to her brother.

"Is that...blood?" she asked, the bubbliness in her voice replaced by a small hint of fear. "Could it be human?" Chrom turned his head so that he was looking upriver, and he narrowed his eyes.

"I don't know, Lissa," he said, "But we should make sure that there aren't any bandits hassling anymore innocent farmers." With nary another word, Chrom sheathed Falchion, and ran upriver, Frederick and Lissa following close behind.

Minutes later, Lissa and Chrom spotted the source of the blood across the river: a dark violet cloak hanging from a low tree branch, covered in the red substance. Crossing the river using a fallen log as a bridge, the siblings reached the tree, where Lissa took the cloak and started washing it in the river.

"Well, this explains where the blood came from," she said as the red coloring slowly disappeared from the cloak, "But who does it belong to?" Chrom shook his head, having about as much of a clue as his sister. Frederick finished crossing the river on his horse, and rejoined with his charges.

"Milord," he said, catching Chrom's attention, "There appears to be a trail on the grass. Perhaps we should follow it?" Chrom looked towards the fields, and saw the blood on the blades of grass. It was faint, but unmistakable nonetheless. Chrom nodded, and followed the trail, leaving Frederick behind to watch over Lissa.

After reaching a large, open field, Chrom quickly glanced around. _This was where the trail led,_ he thought. _So where…?_ Giving up, he turned back, only for his eyes to catch a glint of metal off in the distance. "Lissa, Frederick, I found something!" he called out, racing to the glint's source. Reaching it, he found a yellow Tome, the kind a Mage would use, and not three paces away, its owner: a young man, about eighteen years old, with blonde hair that was highlighted black at the front, unconscious with a nasty-looking wound across his chest.

"Oh my Gods!" Lissa cried, she and Frederick having reached Chrom's location just seconds ago. Grabbing her staff from Frederick, she kneeled down beside the unconscious man, and waved the staff above the man's wound. Blue light started to emit from the gem at the top of the staff, and it enveloped the wound, slowly healing it, leaving nothing but a barely visible scar. "What happened to him?!"

"Most likely bandits, milady," Frederick said bluntly, without any sympathy in his voice. Chrom shook his head, and grabbed a small pouch from the man's belt. It jingled with the sound of coins as it was lifted.

"I doubt it, Frederick. If it was bandits, they would've taken this," the prince replied, tying the pouch back onto the man's belt. "Besides, they wouldn't have let him get away so easily."

"Chrom, this is terrible!" Lissa cried fearfully. "This man's lucky to be alive…We have to do something!"

"Well, what do you propose we do?" Chrom asked. Lissa stumbled to find an answer, but couldn't think of one.

"I…I don't know!"

Suddenly, a small groan caused them to turn their attention to the unconscious man. His eyelids squeezed shut for a moment, before he opened them, blinking at the sudden onslaught of light. Chrom couldn't help but let out a small breath, but not only because the stranger was awake. His eyes were a dark violet, almost as dark as the amethysts in Yllistol's treasury.

"I see you're finally awake," Chrom said, leaning over the man. The stranger's attention quickly flickered from the prince to the blonde girl, and then back again, not sure what to make of the situation.

"There are better places to take a nap than on the dirt, you know," Chrom chuckled, and extended his arm. "Here, give me your hand." The younger man took Chrom's hand, and he noticed a dark tattoo on his left hand: six eyes, all connected by one curved line. Blinking, the strange symbol disappeared, and before he could dwell on it further, he was pulled to his feet.

"Are you all right? Chrom asked the stranger. He nodded, although his posture suggested otherwise.

"Yeah," he said, unease lingering in his mind, "Thanks Chrom."

"So you know who I am then?" The stranger's eyes widened in panic slightly, unsure as to what was going on.

"No…I mean, yes…Well, actually…It just sort of…Came to me…" he stammered, trying to make heads and tails of his situation. "I'm sorry, but I can't remember much." Chrom's eyebrow rose in slight disbelief, and he crossed his arms.

"Well, do you at least know your name?" he asked the stranger. The other man shook his head sadly, wincing slightly as his mind drew up nothing but blanks.

"Nothing…Nothing comes to mind," he sighed.

"Hey, I've heard of this!" Lissa cried out. "It's called amnesia!" The young man blinked a couple of times, looking at Lissa from the corner of his eyes. As his gaze locked with her eyes, he could only think one thing.

_Amnesia?_

"It's called a load of Pegasus dung," Frederick growled, his Silver Lance ready in his hands. "We're supposed to believe that you know Chrom's name but not your own?" Leveling the sharp spear, he pointed it threateningly at the stranger, scowling all the while.

"But it's true," the young man said, sweat forming on his forehead. Chrom placed a hand on the lance and lowered the point to the ground.

"What if it is true, Frederick?" he asked, glaring at the Great Knight. "We can't just leave him here, alone and confused. What kind of Shepherds would we be if we did?" Frederick slowly nodded once, but kept his glare focused at the young man.

_Wait,_ the young man thought. _Did I hear that right? 'Shepherds'? They tend sheep…in full armor? What kind of crazy idea is that?_

"Very well, milord," Frederick said, never taking his eyes off of the stranger for more than a moment, "But I would advise caution all the same." Lissa took the time to whack the Great Knight in the head with her staff again, before turning to Chrom.

"Then it's settled, right?" she said, saying it as if it were a statement instead of a question. "We'll take him to the nearest town. Maybe someone there'll know what to do with him!" Chrom nodded his head, and Frederick grunted his approval. The young man looked at the girl as if she had just grown another head, her voice having snapped him back into reality.

"Wha…Wait!" the young man exclaimed, panic evident in his eyes and voice. "Don't I get a say in this!?" Lissa giggled, and tapped him lightly in the forehead with her staff.

"Nope, not really," she chimed, smiling innocently. She started to walk away, only to stop suddenly. "Oh yeah, that's right! I almost forgot." She ran back to Frederick, and grabbed the cloak off of his horse. "This is yours, I believe."

The young man held the violet cloak in front of him, staring at it for a moment, before shrugging it on. Although he had little to no memory, something told him that the cloak was his. "Come on, time waits for no one!" Lissa called out. Turning his head, he saw that the gorgeous girl and the irritable horseman had gone ahead, but Chrom couldn't be seen.

"I believe this is yours as well, friend," Chrom said from behind him. Turning, the stranger saw Chrom handing him a book with a yellow cover. "Don't worry, we'll hear your story out once we reach civilization: open fields aren't really good places to have conversation in for long these days." Taking the Tome, the young man followed Chrom as they hurried to catch up to Chrom's companions. But the stranger couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding-or was it excitement?-in his mind.

_Following them is probably going to be either a really good idea…or a really bad one,_ he thought to himself.

* * *

The quartet of Frederick, Chrom, Lissa, and the young man continued to walk along a dirt road which, to the young man's knowledge, would hopefully lead them to a town. As they continued on their way, the young man had taken in the scenery, watching the white clouds roll along a sapphire blue sky. He normally would've been enjoying the beautiful landscape, if he didn't have an angry horseman glaring at the back of his head constantly.

_Why can't I remember anything?_ he asked himself. _Why is it that this cloak and spellbook feel familiar, but I can't remember where from? And most importantly, what the hell is my name!?_

"So, I am to be your prisoner now?" the young man said, hoping to make some more sense of his current situation. Chrom looked over his shoulder, smiling sympathetically.

"Of course not!" the prince said. "As soon as we know that you're no enemy to Ylisse, you'll be free to go." Lissa nodded in agreement, having decided to turn around and walk backwards a while ago. The young man couldn't help but gaze into the girl's eyes for a few seconds every now and then, captivated by the silver blue orbs.

"Ylisse?" he asked, tearing his gaze away from Lissa. "Is that where we are?" Frederick scoffed from behind the young man.

"Somebody give this actor praise: he plays quite the fool!" Frederick said, suspicion laced throughout his voice. "The furrowed brow is quite convincing…" Chrom stopped suddenly, and turned around, a disapproving look on his face.

"Frederick, please," Chrom said disdainfully to the Great Knight, before turning to the young man. "We are currently within the Haildom of Ylisse, which is ruled by our Exalt, Emmeryn." Chrom clapped the young man's shoulder, before continuing. "I suppose introductions are in order.

"I'm Chrom, but you knew that already," he said, saying the last part with a chuckle. Wrapping an arm around the blonde girl's shoulder, he introduced her next. "The delicate one here is-!" His introduction was cut off by the girl's staff being slammed down onto his foot.

"I am not delicate!" she cried, glaring at her brother, before turning back to the young man, her smile returning. "Ignore my brother; he's got a thick head. I'm Lissa! It's a pleasure to meet you." Taking the young man's hand, she shook it, causing small sparks of electricity to run through his skin.

"You're lucky it was us Shepherds who found you, and not bandits. Otherwise, you would've been in for a much ruder awakening!" she continued, releasing the stranger's hand.

"Wait…The three of you tend sheep? In full armor?" the young man asked, still confused about the whole 'Shepherd' business. Chrom laughed, finding the stranger's confusion hilarious.

"We aren't really shepherds," he explained. "You see, the Shepherds are a small faction of the Ylissian military, but we're also a vital part of it, too. It's a dangerous job, to be sure. Just ask Frederick the Wary here." Chrom gestured to the Great Knight behind the young man, who scoffed.

"A name that I shall carry with pride," he said, muttering "Because Naga forbid at least one of us has some modicum of caution," immediately afterward. The young man chuckled, and extended his hand to Chrom.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," he said. "My name's Drake…" His eyes, along with Chrom's and Lissa's, widened at the revelation. "That's strange…I just remembered my name." Frederick scoffed, glaring at Drake from behind.

"Sure you did," he muttered threateningly. Chrom silenced the Great Knight with a glare, and took Drake's hand.

"Well, at least that's one mystery solved," he said. Turning around, he motioned for the others to follow him. "Come on, we should be at the town before long. Then we'll-!" Whatever else he had to say was cut off by Lissa's scream.

"Chrom! Look, there's smoke!" she screamed. Chrom dashed towards the top of a hill, and gasped. The whole town was on fire, and there were gruff-looking men running around the streets, burning everything in sight that had no value.

"Damn bandits!" Chrom cursed, tightening his grip on his blade. "Lissa, Frederick, with me! We must defend the town! Drake, you stay here." With nary another word, he slid down the hill towards the burning town, Lissa and Frederick not far behind.

Drake turned to run, freedom at his grasp, but stopped. He had no memory, no one to go back to. If he left, there would be no way for him to survive. Looking to the town, then to the open fields beside him, and back, he gripped his Tome, and quickly followed Chrom.

* * *

Running through the debris that was a result of the raid, Drake crouched behind a stack of boxes, and poked his head out, looking at the battlefield. Chrom was engaged in combat with an axe-wielding bandit, while Lissa was hiding behind a pair of barrels not too far away. Frederick was nowhere to be seen, although Drake could guess his location, judging from the screams of pain coming from behind a nearby building.

A scream forced Drake to look at Lissa, who was being assaulted by a sword-wielding bandit. Acting on instinct, Drake thrust his palm forward, and, to his amazement, shot a bolt of lightning at the bandit. Lissa lowered her head, screaming and hoping she wouldn't be killed as the blade came swinging down at her. When she felt no pain, she raised her head, and saw a small electrical blade piercing the bandit's chest. As the bandit collapsed to the ground, dead as soon as the spell hit his back, Drake ran up to her, and slid behind the barrels.

"Drake?" she whispered, glad to be alive. "What are you doing here? I thought Chrom told you to stay behind."

"I know that," Drake replied, "But something told me that I couldn't leave you three to fight this alone. Besides, there's also an old adage about 'safety in numbers' that comes to mind." Drake and Lissa leaned out from behind the barrels, and saw a lance-wielding bandit sneaking up on Chrom as he was engaged in his battle.

"Chrom! Behind you!" Lissa cried out, before seeing Drake rush at the three warriors, the sword that Lissa's assailant used in his left hand. Emitting a threatening war cry, Drake slashed at the bandit with the blade, taking him out with one strike. Chrom took the opportunity to run the stunned axeman through with Falchion.

"I thought I told you-!" Chrom started, before Drake cut him off.

"Yeah, yeah, I know" Drake said, "I was supposed to stay behind. I already had this whole conversation with Lissa." Drake clapped Chrom's shoulder, and smiled. "Besides, these bandits need to be taught a lesson." Frederick came riding up beside Chrom just then, his lance dripping with water and blood.

"Milord, the bandit's leader is holed up by the church. Do we have a plan of action?" Chrom shook his head, not entirely sure what to do next. A quick snap drew his attention to Drake, whose eyes seemed to sparkle mysteriously.

"I've got an idea," he said, his voice brimming with confidence. If Chrom didn't know better, he'd have sworn that the man standing before him was an entirely different person. "Chrom, is there another path to the church than the one going directly across the canal?" Chrom saw what Drake was planning immediately, and gave off a feral smile.

"There is," he said, pointing to the alleyway Frederick was once in. "Just go through that alley."

"Good, then you and Frederick will attack from the front, while I attack from the side, with Lissa acting as my support. A pincer attack that they'll never see coming." With a nod, Chrom raced towards the church, Frederick close on his heels. The Great Knight glared at Drake before disappearing from sight, as if to say 'I still don't trust you.' Drake waited for a moment, before turning to Lissa, and motioning for her to follow him.

"Come on," he said. Taking Lissa's hand, he and Lissa ran into the alley to complete their part of the plan. As they rounded a corner, Drake pulled back, arrows whizzing through the alley. Sticking his head around the corner, he saw two Archers running towards him, cocking their bows.

"Lissa, is there anything you can do with that staff?" The blonde girl nodded, twirling her staff in her hands. Before she could answer, the bandits turned the corner, and fired at the duo. Dodging the projectiles, Drake dashed forward, and cut the first Archer's bow in half, before felling him with one thrust of the sword. The other bandit fired an arrow at the young man before turning tail, shooting it straight into Drake's shoulder. Crying out in pain, Drake dropped his sword, and shot forth another bolt of lightning, this one more powerful than the last. The bolt struck home, and the bandit collapsed, dead before hitting the cobblestones.

"Damn!" he exclaimed, pulling the arrow out. Luckily, it wasn't barbed, or else it would've hurt a lot more. A blue light popped into existence from the corner of his eye, and Drake turned to see Lissa's staff glowing.

"I can't really fight at all," she said, her eyes closed as she focused on healing Drake's wound, "But when you, Chrom, or Frederick get hurt, I'll be the one patching you back up. That's what Clerics do." The light surrounded Drake's arm, and the wound closed, Drake hissing in slight discomfort all the while. As the light disappeared, Drake flexed his arm: it was sore, but no major muscles had been torn, or, if they were, Lissa had done an excellent job at fixing them.

"Thanks, Lissa," he said, picking his blade up from the ground and sheathing it. "I owe you." Gripping his Tome even tighter, the duo ran to the end of the alley, and saw Chrom fighting the bandit leader on his own. The leader was an intimidating fellow: red war paint on his bare chest and face, a scraggly beard, and eyes that just glared 'Try to kill me, if you dare.' Frederick was holding his own against three other axemen, but was quickly tiring.

"Here, sheepy sheepy," the bandit said, taunting Chrom, "Come to the slaughter!" Catching Falchion on the head of his axe, the bandit leader flicked the sacred blade out of Chrom's grasp, before backhanding the prince, sending him sprawling to the ground. The bandit leaned back to bisect Chrom, when a bolt of lightning knocked the axe from his hand into the nearby canal. Turning, he glared at the intruder, before a blade was struck into his stomach.

"Never drop your guard, bandit," Drake growled, pulling his blood-covered sword from the bandit's midsection. "Who knows, some of those you prey on may turn out to be wolves in sheep's clothing." The bandit's eyes glazed over, before he fell into the canal, his body floating face-down. Seeing their leader dead, the three bandits harassing Frederick dropped their weapons and fled into the hills, back to wherever they came from.

"That's the last of them, I suppose," Drake said, pulling Chrom to his feet. Steadying himself, Chrom watched as Lissa ran over to Frederick, frantically checking his armor for penetration marks.

"For now," Chrom replied, clasping Drake's shoulder. "You really are full of surprises, aren't you? Magic, tactics, and swordsmanship! Perhaps-!"

"Perhaps he can fully explain to us who he really is," Frederick interjected, riding up just then, Lissa coming up behind him, his lance poking into Drake's shoulder. Drake sighed, and turned to Frederick, his gaze even and cool.

"I understand your skepticism, Sir Frederick," he said, staring into the Great Knight's eyes, "But I can't even begin to tell you who I was before you three found me." Lissa glared daggers at Frederick, before turning to Drake, her eyes sparkling.

"Well, I believe him!" she said. "I mean, he did save my life. Plus, he looks like a nice guy. Right, Chrom?" The prince nodded, and he laid his gaze on Drake.

"Not only did you keep my sister safe, but you also helped defend an Ylissian village. That's enough proof for my heart."

"And your mind, milord?" Frederick asked, his face as stoic as ever, "Will you not heed its council as well?" Before Chrom could answer, an elderly man approached the quartet and hailed them.

"Thank you, Shepherds!" he said, taking Chrom's hand and shaking it. "Please, you must stay the night. We'll throw an honorary feast for you!" Frederick slowly shook his head, smiling gratefully.

"We thank you for the offer, good sir," he said, "But we must respectfully decline. We must make haste for the capital." Lissa, however, had other ideas.

"Dark meat only for me, please. Medium-well done, no salt in the soup…Wait, Frederick, what!?" Turning to the Great Knight, she stared at him, a crestfallen look on her face. "But it'll be dark soon!"

"And once it gets dark, we'll make camp like we always do," he said, not unkindly. "Besides, you're the one who insisted on coming with us." Lissa pouted, and looked to the ground in defeat.

"Frederick? I hate you sometimes, you know that?"

Their laughter echoed throughout the village as the quartet continued to march onward, accepting thanks from the villagers as they went.

* * *

Lissa looked forlornly at the piece of meat in front of her. Poking it with her finger, she looked at Chrom disdainfully.

"Bear?" she asked with a hint of revulsion in her voice. "Really, Chrom? Couldn't you have gotten something normal people eat? Like deer or rabbit or…or deer?"

Chrom looked at his sister, a quizzical look in his eyes. "What's wrong with it?" he asked. "Meat is meat, no matter where it came from." Taking a bite out of his meat, he swallowed it, and looked back at Lissa. "Besides, it's been forever since I last had it."

The quartet had travelled half of the remaining distance to the capital when darkness had started to settle in the forest. Breaking camp, Frederick had gone to gather firewood, which was in considerable abundance, and Chrom had dispatched a curious bear that had wandered by, providing a meal for the travellers.

"There's a very good reason why!" Lissa cried, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "You're messing with the food chain! Right, Drake?"

Drake looked up from where he was sitting, a piece of bear meat hanging from his mouth. "Sorry, Lissa," he said, swallowing what he had in his mouth. "You were saying something?" Lissa turned away and stared into the darkening trees.

"Ugh, forget it," she said, her face blanching. "I can't believe you can actually eat this…"

"Well, once you actually get a taste for it, it's not that bad," Frederick said, taking the spot in between Lissa and Drake. Lissa glared daggers at the Great Knight.

"Yeah?" she asked, a tone of mockery in her voice, "Then why aren't you having any, huh?" Frederick's eyes widened in panic, like a cornered deer before a pack of wolves, as he struggled to find an answer.

"I, uh...Well, that is to say…The reason is…Well…" Frederick's stammering was cut off as Drake chuckled, swallowing the last of his meat.

"Anyone want seconds?" he asked, reaching for the last piece. "If not, I'll take it." Taking it, he tore off a small piece, and popped it into his mouth.

"I suppose anyone would find this delectable after starving for who knows how long," Lissa said, as she finally took a bite, and immediately regretted it. Grabbing her waterskin, she took a decent-sized drink from it, washing the bad-tasting food down her throat. "Yuck. This tastes like old boots."

Chrom and Drake burst out laughing from Lissa's antics, followed swiftly by Lissa herself. As they quieted down, Drake looked to the sky, and watched the clouds roll across the darkening sky.

_If this is to be one of my earliest retained memories,_ he thought, _At least it's a good one. The sound of our laughter ringing through the dusk forest. That's a sound I'll never forget._

**Wow, a 4400 word chapter (not counting the Author's Notes)…That's about three times as long as the previous chapter. Yay for me! …But in all seriousness, thank you guys so much for the support I've been receiving. A couple of followers, a favorite or two…and my first reviewer! I never dreamed how just one 1500 word prologue would work out so well for me (I hope…We'll see!).**

**Before I leave, I just want to clarify three things: first, for those who are confused as to what Chrom is doing in the beginning, it's a technique I call "Shadow-Dueling". It's a practice technique in which you, basically, fight your own shadow. I'm not sure if it's an actual thing, but whatever.**

**Second, and this was brought up by my first reviewer, Gunlord500, for those of you who are worried that I'll be sticking too much to the plot: don't worry. I won't be using all of the Paralogues, but instead be combining some of them into whole segments (for example, later on in the story, I'll be combining two of the children's Paralogues), and I will also be including some vignettes that occur in between segments of the story, with the first one coming up in a couple of chapters. These vignettes will detail the interactions that Drake has with the current Shepherds, although I won't include all of the Shepherds in most of them. There may also be some that focus centrally on a few specific characters, so…I'll warn you when those show up.**

**Third, Chrom's age. I said he was about twenty-four in the prologue: that will have significance later. Currently, he's three years older than Drake, which puts him at twenty-one.**

**I've got nothing more to say, so I'll see you guys when the next chapter rolls into station.**


	3. Chapter 3

Fire Emblem Awakening: Chronicles of the Fell Dragon War

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! The Servant of Grima here, and it's time for another chapter in the Fell Dragon Chronicles! Now, before we begin: remember how I said I wouldn't stick to the plot too much? This chapter's an example. Chapter Two focuses on the first chapter in the game, but it will play a much different role here than it does in game. Just…read along and you'll see.**

**Nothing left to say, so let's get started!**

**Chapter Two**

_The castle was burning. Mysterious creatures were doing battle with soldiers clad in blue. The creatures had blood red eyes that struck terror into the soldiers' hearts. As one was killed, it dissipated into a dark violet mist, and another charged in to take its place. In the center of it all, a young warrior, wielding the sacred blade Falchion, fought alongside two others. The first, a young man, no older than twenty, with silver-green eyes and dirty blonde hair, blocked an incoming axe with the edge of his sword, a golden katana with a ruby embedded in the hilt._

"_Is that the best you have, scum?!" he cried out, flinging the axe out of the creature's hands and into the body of a second, dropping it instantly. "Come, and face the wrath of Mystletainn, the blade of heroes!" Stabbing the blade into the disarmed creature, he turned and blocked another sword with his buckler, before slashing through both of the monsters._

"_Owain, this is not the time for theatrics!" the girl, who looked to be about a year younger than Owain, shouted, before running three of the creatures through with her Silver Lance. As they vanished into nothing, she wiped her forehead, her dull lavender hair shimmering white in the flames. Her brown eyes sparkled with a dark enthusiasm, as if she was tired of the battle and wanted it to end as soon as possible._

"_Sorry, Cynthia," Owain said, deflecting another axe aimed at his head, before killing his attacker, "But it's kind of hard when I've been like this for most of my life." Cynthia sighed, stunning her next adversary with a well-placed kick, before Owain killed it._

"_Marth, how long have we got?" Cynthia turned to the third figure. The young man, who looked similar to Chrom, except for the blue mask covering his face, took out six of the approaching creatures with one swing of Falchion, before holding a fist up._

"_Got it," Cynthia nodded, before emitting a shrill whistle. Seconds later, a white winged horse, her mother's Pegasus, swooped down from the dark skies through a hole in the ruined castle, and crushed some of the creatures underneath its hooves, before Cynthia climbed onto it, Owain following soon after._

"_Are you sure you'll be fine, Marth?" the girl asked the remaining figure. He turned to his two comrades, and spoke, but his words couldn't be heard. Cynthia nodded, and, along with Owain, rode off towards the mountains. As they disappeared over the fiery horizon, Marth continued to fight alongside the soldiers, killing more of the creatures, before a large, black tail crushed most of the castle, killing everyone inside it but Marth._

"_SO, IT SEEMS TO HAVE COME TO THIS," a thunderous voice boomed in the silence. Six bright red eyes suddenly burst to life only ten meters in front of Marth, before the head they belonged to rose. The eyes belonged to the menace that Marth and his comrades had been fighting since their parent's death, the leader of these foul creatures; Grima, the Fell Dragon._

"_ARE YOU SCARED, LITTLE HUMAN?" the dragon asked, mocking Marth all the while. "YOU SHOULD BE. AFTER ALL, I WAS THE ONE WHO KILLED YOUR PARENTS." The monstrous foe swished his head, his large, bone-white horns demolishing the rest of the castle. "I ONLY LET YOUR LITTLE RESISTANCE KEEP FIGHTING BECAUSE I BELIEVED IT WOULD DIE OUT IN A YEAR OR TWO. BUT, TO HAVE IT LAST FOR HALF A DECADE…THAT WAS UNEXPECTED. NOW, HOWEVER, YOUR FUTILE STRUGGLE ENDS WITH YOUR DEATH!" The dragon opened its great maw, and lunged at Marth. Holding Falchion towards Grima, Marth cried out, but, whether it was in defiance or out of fear, it was impossible to tell…_

* * *

Chrom's eyes burst open, awakening himself from sleep. Rising into a sitting position, he looked around the camp, taking in what little could be seen in the dying light of the fire's embers. Frederick lay sleeping against a tree, in the only possible way for him to sleep comfortably in all that armor. _How he can sleep like that, I'll never know,_ Chrom thought. Soft snores came from Lissa's direction, her head resting against Chrom's bedroll like it was a pillow. Drake, however, was nowhere to be seen. Looking behind him, Chrom found the mysterious man sitting on a log, staring up at the stars, about ten meters away.

"A copper for your thoughts?" Chrom asked, walking over to Drake. Drake turned, his hand grasping the hilt of the sword he had taken from the bandits, and sighed.

"Trying to remember anything else from your past life?" Another nod from the young man. Chrom sat down beside Drake, and also looked at the stars. "My mother once told me that stars are the souls of great heroes, recognized by the Divine Dragon herself. She also told me that, sometimes, a memory can disappear from your mind, and it will become a star. Maybe that's what happened." Chrom chuckled ruefully, scratching the back of his head.

"Thanks, Chrom," Drake said. Chrom turned to the other man, his eyebrows raised questioningly.

"What for?"

"Two reasons, actually. First, for trusting my story when you found me." Drake shrugged, pausing to collect his thoughts. "Frederick probably would've killed me, had he been alone. Besides, how were you to know if I was lying? I could've been a spy, for all you know." Chrom shook his head, cutting Drake off.

"I knew you couldn't have been one, simply because a spy would've tried to come up with some elaborate story, or had one planned from the start. You told us you had no memory, and a spy with no memory isn't a good spy, if you ask me." Drake laughed at Chrom's statement, his mind slowly easing. "So, what's the other reason?"

"For trying to cheer me up." Drake rose from the log, and turned to the camp. "I'm going to get some sleep. See you in-!" Suddenly, the earth beneath them started shaking. Drake and Chrom were thrown to the ground, leaves and branches falling from the trees. A resounding crash signaled a tree falling not too far away. As suddenly as it had started, however, the tremor ended, leaving only silence.

"What the hell was that?" Chrom said, rising to one knee. Drake stood up, his legs shaking, and dusted his cloak off. "Ylisse normally doesn't get earthquakes." Drake looked to the sky, and his jaw dropped.

"I don't think that was an earthquake, Chrom," he said, pointing to the sky. "I may not have any memories, but I'm pretty certain that earthquakes don't form giant eyes in the sky." Chrom looked at Drake questioningly, before turning to the sky himself. What he saw astounded him.

Situated in the dark sky was a large, crystalline eye, surrounded by strange glyphs on all sides. The eye burst open, its draconic pupil glaring down at the two of them, before two humanoid silhouettes formed within it. They grew larger, almost as if they were walking closer, before falling to the ground with a thud. Silence dominated the air for a few moments, before the figures shambled through the bushes, groaning in an animalistic manner. Their heads rose, and they opened their eyes. Their eyes blazed blood red, and they growled menacingly.

_These are the creatures from my dream,_ Chrom realized, gasping inaudibly. Drawing Falchion, Chrom rushed at one of the creatures, stabbing it before it had a chance to react. The creature roared, and raised a blade to strike Chrom down. Chrom shoved the creature back with his boot, and blocked the second creature, who had tried to kill him with an axe.

Drake rushed forward, lashing out with both palms, sending a condensed sphere of lightning at the axe-wielding creature's head. It stumbled back from the impact, sparks dancing through its body, before the blade of Falchion sliced it in half. The eyes lost their shine as the monstrous being groaned its last, before it dissipated into a dark violet mist.

"Thanks, Drake," the prince said. Drake nodded, before noticing the other creature, the one Chrom had initially wounded, rising from the ground. Thick, violet smoke poured from the hole in its torso, like lava from a volcano. The beast roared, and flung its sword at Chrom. Pushing Chrom aside, Drake deflected the incoming blade with his own, causing it to fly into a tree-the very same tree upon which Frederick lay asleep, only inches above his head.

The creature hissed in defiance, and turned to flee, only for a Bronze Lance to come hurtling out of the forest and pierce its neck. Seconds later, a young woman, about twenty-one years of age, burst through the trees, riding on a chestnut-colored mare. Her red armour, which looked to be lighter than Frederick's, rattled as she jerked the thrown spear out of the creature's neck, watching as it vanished into mist.

"Take that, ya ash-faced freak!" she cried, howling what was obviously a war cry. Drake noticed a second figure sitting behind the red-armored rider, looking highly flustered and scared. He was a man, possibly around twenty, who looked to be of some noble standing, as indicated by his dark blue clothes and tan undershirt. His blue hair lay messy from the vicious endeavor of trying to stay on the knight's horse, his dark green eyes darting back and forth in fear. A quiver full of arrows hung at his hip, and a bow was held tightly in his right hand.

"Next time," the nobleman murmured, dismounting from the horse, "Can we please go slower? And possibly stick to the path?" The knight ignored the question, and turned to Chrom, her brown-red eyes blazing with a fiery determination.

"And you said to stay at the barracks," she said, glaring at Chrom without malice. "That does it, I ain't letting you or Frederick outta my damn sight ever again! I always end up missing the fun stuff!" The knight then noticed Drake, and glanced his way, a quizzical look on her face. "Who's the kid?"

"I suppose introductions are in order," Chrom said, clapping Drake's shoulder. "This is Drake. He helped me, Lissa, and Frederick save a village from bandits, even though he has no memory. Drake, this is Sully, one of the Shepherds, and a fine Cavalier at that." Sully's horse took the moment to approach Drake, and sniffed his hand for a moment, before nuzzling him.

"Well, I'll be damned!" Sully said, surprised. "Zandra normally doesn't warm up to strangers this quickly." She slid off the horse, and extended a hand to Drake once Zandra had backed off. "If Chrom says you're a friend, then, hell, you're fine in my book." Drake took the hand, and shook it.

"So, who's the Archer, then?" Drake said, nodding his head to the nobleman. Before Chrom could answer, the Archer scoffed.

"'The Archer'?" he said, aghast at being addressed so lowly. "If you must know, my name is not 'The Archer'! I am he who strides across history's greatest stage! I am the man who puts the 'Arch' in Archer! I am Virion, the 'Archest-of-Archers!' I will not tolerate-!" Suddenly, animalistic groans came from the depths of the forest, surrounding them. Drake cursed silently.

"Great, more of these things." Turning to Chrom, he motioned to Frederick and Lissa. "Go wake them up, quick. Tell them we've been surrounded, and to prepare for battle." Nodding, Chrom dashed off, leaving Drake alone with Virion and Sully. "Sully, I want you to stay on your horse, and try to kill these…things with that lance of yours. Try to avoid any that have an axe, and aim for those with swords and spears." Nodding, Sully mounted Zandra, and tightened her grip on her lance. "And please, don't throw it again."

Turning to Virion, he gave him his orders. "Ruffles, stay to the back and shoot any that Sully or I miss. If any get close, run away and find another vantage point." Virion scoffed, his face growing even more flustered at having to be ordered by some kid.

"Ruffles!?" he cried, taking offense to the nickname. "My name is Virion, not Ruffles, thank you very much!" The mysterious creatures shambled into the clearing at that moment. _If the behavior of the previous two was any indication, though,_ Drake thought, _Then the shambling won't last long._

"No time to argue, Ruffles," he said, gripping the hilt of his blade. "Just make with the shooty-shooty!" Swinging his blade forward, he ran at the mass of monsters, Sully quickly overtaking him.

"I come to the rescue and I get scoffed and scorned at…" Virion muttered, before nocking an arrow and firing it into the gut of a nearby creature.

Drake dashed into the mass of creatures, cutting two of them in half before sidestepping a third's lance attack. Slashing down, he broke the lance in half, before picking up the pointed end and hurling that into the side of its previous owner. He saw a brief glimpse of Sully, holding her own against a multitude of the creatures, knocking them back with a few swings of her lance.

"Alright, which one of ya wants your arse handed to ya next!" she cried, galloping a distance away, before charging into them again, killing three of the creatures with her horse's strength alone, and putting down a fourth with a well-placed thrust.

_Good to see that she's handling herself well,_ Drake thought. Turning to face Virion, he saw that the Archer was, unexpectedly, handling himself well, an arrow always in his hand.

_I won't be beat by some man in a bib,_ he thought, seeing the five monsters lying dead before the nobleman. Swinging his blade in a circle, Drake took out four other creatures, before throwing a fifth's axe from its hands into the body of a sixth, killing both. The rumbling of hooves caused Drake to turn his head, and he saw Frederick riding full gallop at the horde, pushing the creatures aside with his lance.

Stopping beside Drake, the Great Knight glared at him, before turning to help Sully out. Chrom came rushing up immediately afterwards, pressing his back to Drake's. "Where's Lissa?" Drake asked, glaring at the monstrous creatures.

"She's safe in Virion's hands," Chrom said, saying, "Hopefully," immediately afterwards. Turning his head slightly, he looked to Drake. "Shall we, then?" Drake grinned in a feral manner.

"Let's." Pushing off of each other, they stabbed into two separate creatures, before decimating the other ones who dared to challenge them. Felling many of the creatures in only two minutes, it seemed victory was theirs. Suddenly, the ones that were left fighting slowly backed away, as a larger version of the creatures trudged forward.

It looked even more menacing than the others, with a black hood covering its face, and sharp, black claws where there should have been hands. It growled menacingly, its red eyes shining even brighter, before it slashed its claws forward, forcing Drake and Chrom to dodge sideways. The beast swatted Chrom aside, before turning and pinning Drake to the ground. Drake struggled to escape, as the monster brought its other clawed hand up, ready to strike.

Chrom rose to his feet, and ran at the monster, hoping to stop it from killing the talented man. The beast's claws came rushing down faster than Chrom could run, and he watched in futile despair as Drake closed his eyes, ready to accept death.

Fate, however, had other plans. As the creature swiped down at Drake, a mysterious figure dashed at the creature and slashed upward, cutting the monster's arm off. The beast roared in painful agony, backing off and clutching at its wound. Drake opened his eyes, and, seeing himself still alive, rose to his feet, taking his Tome from his cloak. Muttering an incantation, he fired forth a strong beam of lightning, cleaving the beast's other arm in two.

Awakening from his stunned state, Chrom leapt at the monster, and thrust Falchion through its chest, as the figure slashed his sword into its head. Silence reigned throughout the battlefield, before the monster finally dissipated into mist. Chrom finally got a good look at the figure, and gasped. _He's the same guy from my dream,_ he thought. _This is…Marth._

The remaining beasts were finished off by Sully and Frederick, leaving the field clear of any evidence of a battle, except for the dropped weapons. Chrom walked over to Drake, and clapped his hand on his shoulder.

"You did well there, Drake," he said somberly. "I had hoped that the rest of our journey would be peaceful, but it was not meant to be." Drake nodded, and looked at his sword. The monster had shattered it when it had pinned him, and it was now no more than a jagged piece of metal.

"Don't worry about the blade, kid." Sully's voice caused him to turn around, where she was handing him another blade, this one made of steel, instead of bronze. "I rarely use it because I like my lance better. You can take it." Nodding his thanks, Drake took the blade, and placed it in the sheath on his belt.

Chrom, meanwhile, had walked up to the man who looked like Marth, and spoke with him. "Thanks for appearing when you did," he said, extending his hand. "If you hadn't shown up, we probably wouldn't have survived." Marth stood there silently, staring into the distance.

"You were awesome!" Lissa said to Marth, running up to them, a tired Virion being dragged by his collar. "I've never seen a person fight like that in my life! Well, except Chrom and Drake." Stopping for a moment, she twirled a finger through her blonde locks, before addressing the masked man again. "What's your name?"

"You may call me Marth." Lissa gasped, while Frederick and Sully stared at Marth, their jaws agape.

"Marth?" Lissa repeated, not believing what she had heard. "As in…The hero-king of old? That Marth?" A nod from the hero-king answered the affirmative.

"You certainly fight like a hero, no doubt about that," Chrom said. "Might I ask where you learned to handle a sword, and from who?" Marth looked to the stars, before answering.

"I am not here to talk about me," he said, his voice completely monotone, "I am here to deliver a message. The world hangs on the edge of darkness. What you saw tonight…That was only a prelude. The beginning of a greater disaster yet to come. The warning has been given." Turning, he ran off, his form being swallowed up by the darkness of the forest, leaving the five Shepherds and Drake confused.

"That was…strange," Drake said after a moment, breaking the silence. The others nodded in agreement.

_Although,_ he thought afterwards, _Is it me, or did Marth seem a bit…effeminate?_

"He certainly isn't one for conversation, now, is he?" Virion mused, placing his fingers against his forehead lightly.

"Come on, Shepherds," Chrom said, sheathing Falchion, "We should make haste to the capital. The Exalt will want to hear about this." Everyone nodded, and they set off, the first rays of dawn starting to peak over the horizon.

* * *

As the group continued to march through the forest, Sully noticed the new guy, Drake, lingering behind slightly. Slowing her horse's pace down to a walk, she let Drake come beside her. She noticed his eyes were closed, almost as if he was thinking about something.

"Hey," she said to Drake, causing him to open his eyes and look at her. "You're gonna walk into a damn tree if you keep walking like that." He sighed, and nodded.

"Sorry, Sully," he said, casting his eyes elsewhere. "I was just thinking about something." Sully nodded, and they continued to walk in silence for a while. Sully finally broke the silence.

"I heard Chrom say that you have no memory. Is that true?" Drake nodded.

"Yeah, it is. The odd thing is, though, I have all this knowledge of battlefield tactics, spells, and swordsmanship, but I don't know where it came from or how I know it." He chuckled softly. "I couldn't even remember my name for a while, but I knew Chrom's like it was second nature…" Sully burst out laughing, causing Drake to glare at her. "It's not funny."

"I know, I know," she said, wiping a tear from her eye. "But you're right. That does seem odd. Almost unbelievable, in fact."

"You should've seen Frederick's response. He-!" Drake was interrupted as Sully pointed her lance right at his throat.

"Threatened to kill you, kind of like this?" Nodding, Drake backed off, not wanting to be on the wrong end of the spear.

"Yeah, just like that." He shook his head slightly. "I don't expect you to believe me or anything, but-!"

"I believe ya, strange as it may be." Drake looked at Sully, not believing what she said. "I ain't one to lie, Bumblebee. I said I believe ya, and I do."

"Bumblebee?" Drake asked, before shaking his head. "You know, never mind. Thanks, Sully." Looking ahead, the two noticed that the others had gone on ahead.

"Race ya!" Sully said, before kicking her horse into a gallop.

"Hey, no fair!" Drake yelled, running after her. "You have a horse!" Laughing, the two caught up to the others, as the sun started to shine its rays over the trees.

_The kid's not half bad,_ Sully thought to herself. _I wonder if Chrom's planning on letting him join the Shepherds. Hell, he'd better be planning on asking Drake to join. We could use someone with his talents._

* * *

The morning sun had just finished rising above the treeline when the group reached the capital. Ylisstol was bustling with life-citizens chatting with one another, vendors advertising their wares, the laughter of children playing in the streets. The city had an air of everyday life to it, almost as if no one had heard of the attack on one of their towns, or felt the supposed earthquake from last night.

"It seems the capital wasn't affected by the appearance of those…things," Chrom said, as he, Drake, Lissa, and Frederick walked through the streets towards the palace. Sully had split off from the group to take her horse and Frederick's back to the stables, with Virion following close behind her. "Attempting to chat her up…again," is what Chrom had told Drake when Virion was out of earshot. Indeed, Drake could still make out Sully's voice shouting threats and curses at the nobleman, despite his voice having grown silent a while ago.

_Wow,_ Drake thought, _Either he's really desperate, really brave, or really stupid._ He had to admit, though, he could see why Virion would be vying for Sully's heart. She had this…charm to her. A charm that spoke of confidence, of a woman who didn't-or wouldn't-need to have a man constantly fretting over her, that she could defend herself and fight back when the gloves came off. Although, the charm was outweighed by her excessive masculinity. _Hell, her arms are as wide as my legs. Yep, he's probably stupid. And too prideful to know when to quit._

"Thank Naga that's the case," Frederick agreed, his gruff voice snapping Drake back to reality in time to avoid walking into the side of a building.

"So…" Drake said, walking in stride beside Chrom, "The Exalt...Emmeryn, right? What's she like?" Chrom's eyes seemed to shine with pride at the mention of the Exalt's name.

"Exalt Emmeryn is…how can I put it?" Chrom stopped to think for a moment, before continuing. "She's a symbol of hope for the people of Ylisse. Her calm, benevolent personality can warm some of the coldest hearts in the Haildom. I would know; I've seen it firsthand. She's a symbol of-no, she IS peace."

"So, if I do meet her, hypothetically, are there any court manners or rules I should know so that I don't get myself executed?" Chrom laughed at the question.

"Hardly. Emmeryn's the kind of ruler who would rather sit you down and explain the rules of court to you than have you killed." Chrom paused in his walking, sighing. "However, I've been on the end of one of those, and, if you ask me, I'd say execution would be more preferable."

"You know," Drake said, nudging Chrom in the ribs, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say the two of you were related." Before Chrom could retort, the group entered the town square, where a large crowd had gathered. Wondering what all the commotion was about, the quartet squeezed into the crowd, and what Drake saw amazed him.

In the center of the crowd, a young woman, about twenty-five years old, was walking through the square, with about three soldiers guarding her. Her golden blonde hair, held up by a hairpin that looked oddly like a half-halo, shined brilliantly in the sunlight, and it was made even brighter by her robe, which was bright green in color with golden symbols along the collar. The way she walked-never mind the guards-pinned her as royalty, but another detail to the woman stuck out to Drake-a detail so subtle, he was surprised he caught it.

As he gazed at her, smiling and waving to the crowd, even stopping to embrace some smaller kids, Drake could feel an aura of benevolence emit from her. It was almost as if this person was the incarnation of peace itself…Then it struck him. He knew who she was.

"She's the Exalt, isn't she?" he asked Chrom. He simply nodded. "Is it really okay for her to be out here, with so few people to protect her?"

"Ylisse is in a state of peace currently," Frederick explained, as the Exalt and her entourage made their way back to the palace, the crowd dispersing to return to regular daily life. "The people respect the Exalt, and they would never even dream of harming her." Drake nodded absentmindedly, his gaze focused on the rooftops across the square. He could see a figure-probably a young male-with orange-red hair, sitting on the edge of a shop, a large beige bag right next to him. He seemed to be staring after the Exalt, though it was impossible to tell what he was thinking from this distance. The figure stood up after a moment, and leapt down into an alleyway, disappearing from sight.

"And she's the best big sister a girl could ask for!" Lissa said, causing Drake to look back at her. He nodded, smiling, before her words finally sunk in.

"S-Sister!?"

**WARNING: Incoming Support moment between Drake and Sully!**

…**Wait, that already happened? When? *Goes back and reads chapter again* …Well, damn. It already did. Please ignore the previous warning then.**

**Anyways, sorry about getting this chapter out a little late. I honestly expected the chapter to be out around the 26****th**** or 27****th**** of August, but a few things contributed to the delay. *cough*Driving lessons*cough*Minor writer's block*cough*Friends hanging out*cough*…In all seriousness, though, I have an announcement to make.**

**As of the day this story is going up (probably September 1****st****, 2014), the update schedule will be pushed back somewhat. How much, though, I have no idea. There's a reason for that: school. I will be starting my senior year of high school (which is an important milestone, so yeah for me), so I may not have as much time to write as I did over the summer. HOWEVER! One of the classes I'm taking is Creative Writing, so I may or may not work on my story during that class. All depends on what we're doing on that day in class.**

**One thing I want to mention quickly: ages of characters. My character's ages (for everyone, not just Drake) are all approximations EXCEPT for three people, Emmeryn being one of them. My reasoning for her age will be explained once we reach the section that covers Chapter 6 of the game. For those of you who have played that far (and actually READ the dialogue), you'll know my reasons.**

**Also, a mysterious redhead appears! Who could it be? *Makes voice sound like Kefka Palazzo* You want to know? Well…I'm not telling! *Reverts to original voice* At least, not yet. And what was with Chrom's weird dream? Was it a vision of the past? A premonition of the future? Or a combination of both? Only Naga, Grima, and I know. And we ain't telling.**

**See you guys later for the next Chapter!**

**Drake: "Please rate, review, favorite, and follow my adventures! Who knows, it may help me regain my memories!"**


	4. Chapter 4

Fire Emblem Awakening: Chronicles of the Fell Dragon War

**Author's Note: You guys know how I said that, in a couple of chapters, there would be a vignette dedicated to building up Support between Drake and the current Shepherds? Well, it's time for that moment! But first, we need to conclude the business Drake has with his current situation: him finding out that Emmeryn is Chrom and Lissa's SISTER! So, this vignette will actually start partway into the chapter, plus, it may or may not go into the next one…We'll just see where the Hands of Fate take us. Or is it Wheel of Fate? I dunno. Let's get rolling.**

**Chapter Three**

"S-Sister!?"

Lissa couldn't help but giggle at Drake's reaction. His jaw hung open like a loose bear trap, and his eyes were practically bulging out of his skull.

"That means that you and Chrom are…" Drake couldn't finish his statement, he was so stunned by the revelation.

"The Prince and Princess of Ylisse? Yes, that's correct," Chrom finished for him. Drake stood still for a moment, before kneeling down on one knee.

"Chrom…No, Your Highness…I had no idea…Please, forgive my rude and inconsiderate manners!" Chrom and Lissa both burst out laughing, before Chrom placed his hand on Drake's shoulder.

"There's no need for formalities, Drake," he said, smiling. "I hate formalities. To you, it's just Chrom." Drake stood up, chuckling nervously, his right hand behind his head.

"Well, I can see why Frederick puts up with all the teasing." The Great Knight nodded sternly.

"Yes, unfortunately, I must." He then muttered to himself, "It's just one of the many sacrifices I must make for the realm…" Chrom motioned for the others to follow him.

"Come on, we should let Emmeryn know about what happened yesterday." Nodding their agreement, the four of them made their way to the palace. As they left, however, none of them noticed an orange-red haired figure covertly following them from the shadows.

* * *

_To call this a palace…understatement of the year,_ Drake thought as he gazed at the palace's outer walls. It more resembled a fortress than the home of a royal family, and the fact that soldiers stood at exact intervals along the ramparts, with some Archers and Mages among the ranks, wasn't helping to shatter the illusion. As the quartet approached the gates, two soldiers pulled the great wooden doors open, allowing them passage. They saluted to the Prince, not even noticing Drake, and Chrom nodded back to them.

Once the quartet passed through, however, the illusion of the fortress gave way to what Drake thought the outer area of the castle would look like. A large, beautiful courtyard lay in front of them, a gorgeous fountain situated in the center. Neatly trimmed flower bushes grew on all sides of the courtyard, even forming pathways for guests to walk through. All in all, it was paradise.

Chrom walked up to the lone figure standing in the courtyard, a Knight, about thirty-two years old, with dark blonde hair and hazel eyes. His armor was colored grey only, except for a small band of red around his waist. The Knight saw the Prince, and his worried expression soon faded away, to be replaced by one of relief and joy.

"My lord!" he said, embracing the Prince as he might a family member. "I am relieved to see you have returned safely!"

"Knight-Commander Grant, it's good to see you too!" Chrom replied, returning the embrace. The two men released each other before punching each other's shoulders lightly. "I hope Emm hasn't been too worried about me and Lissa?" The Knight laughed, a noise that sounded a little like a dog barking.

"Her? Worry? Ha! The day she starts to worry is the day when I grow wings and fly to the moon! But come! I'm sure the Exalt will be wanting to hear your report." Chrom nodded, and waved his friends over.

"Hey, Lissa," Drake whispered as the quartet was led through the palace by Grant, "What does the Knight-Commander do? Anything special?"

"Well," she replied, "Grant is in charge of all the ground units within the main part of the Ylissian military." Drake nodded, looking around at the tapestry hanging from the walls. They seemed to depict the history of Ylisse and the royal family, with each piece of fabric showing a different scene from a long time ago.

"So, if Grant leads the ground troops, who's in charge of the air units?" Before Lissa could answer, Chrom greeted another person, drawing their attention to him.

"Wing-Commander Phila!" he said, taking the hand of a woman, around thirty years old. Phila had silver hair, despite being at such a young age, maroon eyes, and navy blue armor, with gold pauldrons and a gold chestplate.

"Prince Chrom," she said, her face remaining emotionless, "It is good to see you back." She nodded to Grant, before leaving, probably to inform the Exalt about Chrom's return. As Grant continued to lead the quartet through the palace halls, they passed by a group of spear-wielding soldiers-all female, Drake noticed-walking the other way.

Drake noticed that one of the soldiers, a young woman around nineteen years old, kept her gaze focused on the Prince as they walked pass, and he swore that he saw a tear fall from her dull red eyes. The woman quickly glanced away when she saw Drake's eyes looking at her. Drake turned his head to look at the woman as the soldiers left.

She was, in Drake's mind, gorgeous. Her silver armor gleamed brilliantly, as if it had just been completely polished, her gait was confident, yet graceful, and the sun shined on her ruby red hair from behind, giving the illusion that she was wreathed in flames.

_Wow,_ Drake thought, _She must get a lot of men pining for her._

The quartet reached a room at the end of one of the side halls, and entered, with Grant standing outside. Lissa quickly walked over to one of the sofas and threw herself onto it in a very unladylike manner, while the other three took to the chairs and sat down in them.

"It's good to be back home," Chrom said, taking a crystal pitcher and poured himself a glass of water. "Do you want some water, Drake?" Drake nodded, taking the other glass Chrom had filled, and held it with both hands, afraid of letting it slip and shatter.

"I am so out of place here," Drake whispered to Chrom. He nodded, and stretched his arms over his head.

"I know the feeling, Drake. I feel the same way sometimes." Drake brought the glass to his mouth, and slowly downed the clear liquid. Placing the glass down, he closed his eyes to think more on his lost memories.

_I wonder if I have any relations. What are they thinking now? Could they be worried? They probably are. But…Who was I before? I wish I knew. But, what if there isn't anyone? Perhaps I can build a new life here: get a job, buy a house, start a family…_Suddenly, an image of Lissa in a wedding dress popped into his mind, a thought that was surprisingly appealing to him. He quickly shook the image out of his mind, though. _No, no, no! What are you thinking? She's a princess, you're just a nobody with amnesia. It would never work out. But…Why was it her, and not the red-haired beauty?_ His mental debate was, fortunately, cut off as the doors opened, and Emmeryn walked into the room, Phila and Grant following behind her.

"Emm!" Lissa cried as she practically leapt off the sofa and into the Exalt, embracing her tightly. Emmeryn smiled warmly, her blue eyes shining, as she returned the gesture. Drake could once again feel the aura of peace coming from the Exalt, except, this time, it seemed even stronger. Probably because of the closer distance.

"Lissa, it is good to see you are unharmed," Emmeryn said, her voice sounding as melodious as the chiming of church bells. "How did your first expedition as a Shepherd go?" Lissa smiled sheepishly, tapping her left foot, a gesture that Drake found oddly endearing.

"It was fun…Except for the part where we had to eat a bear…And the bugs…" Drake silently chuckled to himself, fondly recalling the moment where Lissa accidentally ate a fly, and the hilarious antics when she thought she was being set upon by hornets, when it was just a swarm of ladybugs.

Lissa released her sister, and Chrom moved in for a light hug. "Welcome back, Chrom," the Exalt said. "I am glad to see you're safe." Chrom nodded, and released his sister.

"I wish I could say the same, Emm. But there are things that need to be said." Drake saw Chrom's hand tighten around his sword's hilt; he was obviously frustrated about the bandit attack. Why, though, he had no clue.

"Plegian bandits attacked Southtown yesterday," the Prince said, a hint of malice in his voice. Grant's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and he growled.

"Damn them!" he cursed. "This is the third time this week!"

"However," Chrom continued, "The town is safe. We managed to beat back the bandits, but only with some help." Emmeryn nodded, her eyes focusing on Drake.

"I assume this is where the young man here comes into play?" she asked, walking over to Drake. As she got closer, he noticed that she was only half a head shorter than him, and that she had a symbol on her forehead: the same mark that was on Chrom's shoulder. "I do not believe we have met."

"This is Drake," Chrom said, standing next to him. "He helped us out in Southtown, as I explained, and he actually saved Lissa's life once. As such, I wish to make him the new Tactician for the Shepherds." Drake bowed to Emmeryn, trying to look as polite as possible.

"Your Grace," he said, "It is an honor to meet you." His eyes widened, however, once Chrom's words sunk in.

_Wait…Tactician!?_

"Your Grace," Frederick interjected, standing from his seat, just as stunned as Drake with Chrom's revelation, "I find it necessary to state that this man claims to have amnesia, and can remember nothing of his former life. But it is only that: a claim. For all we know, he could be a Plegian spy." Chrom glared daggers at the Great Knight, seeing as they already had this conversation the day before.

"Chrom, do you trust this man?" Emmeryn asked, turning to her brother, the cryptic smile never wavering. He nodded.

"With my life, Emm, and the life of Lissa."

"Then that is enough for me." She smiled to Frederick. "Frederick, your concern is appreciated, however." The Great Knight bowed, his forehead furrowed in irritation. "Come, Chrom, we must prepare for the war council."

"Well," Lissa said, quickly grabbing Drake's arm, "That's our cue! We'll leave you guys alone, and let you focus completely on the council." She all but dragged Drake by his arm out of the room, turning around to wave vigorously. "You all have fun now!"

Emmeryn could not help but crack a very girlish smile, swiftly covering it with a hand, as Chrom shook his head. Lissa was always doing something completely ridiculous to either break tension, get to know a new person, or, most commonly, for no reason at all. It was what made her, in his opinion, one of the greatest princesses he knew. Shaking his head again, he followed Frederick, Grant, and Phila towards the council room, the Exalt walking in step with him.

"Chrom," she said, in a voice low enough that only he could hear it, "I can tell that there's something bothering you. Do you want to talk about it?" He shook his head.

"Thanks, Emm, but I'd rather bring it up during the council. What's bothering me is something that could endanger Ylisse. Perhaps even more than Plegia."

* * *

Exiting into the courtyard, Lissa released Drake's arm, and let out a huge sigh of relief. "Thank Naga you were there to get me out of that, Drake!" she said, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. "I hate war councils." The cool breeze flowing across Drake's face snapped him out of his shock, and he turned to the princess, a questioning look in his eyes.

"Hey, Lissa…I thought Frederick said Ylisse was at peace." She nodded, her head tilting to the side. "So, how come Grant said that this was the third time in a week those bandits were seen?" She sighed, her eyes seeming to lose some of their shine.

"Blame Plegia for that," she said, her voice growing very serious. "Plegia is one of our neighboring countries, although they aren't so neighborly. Their king likes to 'unofficially' send bandits over the borders in order to instigate a war with us."

"But Emmeryn hasn't given in?" She shook her head, her bubbly smile returning.

"Nope, and I doubt Emm will. She's too focused on peace to put us through another war." Drake nodded slowly, only to stop once her words registered.

"'Another war'?" Lissa's face blanched slightly, and she shook her head.

"Never mind, forget I said anything!" she quickly said, her voice seeming to hide a tone of desperation. Drake decided that pushing the matter further would do more harm than good, so he nodded, agreeing to drop the subject. Lissa sighed softly with what seemed to be relief, before taking Drake by his hand again.

"Come on, I'll take you to the Barracks. I think it's time to introduce you to the other Shepherds." Nodding his head, the duo ran out of the courtyard towards town, neither one noticing that a figure with orange-red hair was watching them from a nearby tree, a two-layer marble cake in his lap.

"Well, look at that," the thief mused to himself, using his dagger to cut the pastry in his lap. "It seems that the princess has herself an admirer." Placing the piece of cake he had separated from the original in his mouth, he slipped the rest into his bag, and jumped to the ground, before slipping away from the castle through the shadows.

* * *

The walk to the barracks was uneventful, with the only distraction being Lissa purchasing an amulet for Drake from an open stall vendor. "As thanks for saving my life," she had told him. Slipping it around his neck, he found that it matched perfectly with his cloak: the slender, white body of the amulet countering the empty black fabric. Making their way through the streets of Ylisstol, with Lissa acting as an impromptu guide, pointing out the best places to eat, shop, and have fun (Drake especially found the bookstores interesting, resolving to return at a later point), the duo eventually arrived at the barracks.

"Here we are, Drake. Welcome to Chez Shepherd!" Lissa exclaimed, waving her arms in a dramatic fashion. Immediately, Drake noticed that the Shepherd's barracks seemed…a bit small to be holding what was supposed to be the elite members of a military force. "Well, let's go! Time for you to meet your new comrades!"

Entering into the barracks, Drake noticed a few things right off the bat. First was the open door that looked like it led into a storage room. From what he could see, the room looked pretty barren, except for a few boxes, one of which was filled with apples. Second were the room's occupants, probably the other Shepherds.

He instantly recognized Sully, still in her riding armor, locked in an arm-wrestling match with a twenty-two year old man with spiky blonde hair and blue-green eyes. Leaning against the chair where the man was sitting was a Bronze Axe, presumably belonging to him. His tanned skin rippled with muscles, and Drake immediately pinned him as a Fighter. Oddly enough, he wasn't wearing a shirt.

_No armor?_ Drake thought to himself. _Surely he must know that going into battle half naked is a terrible idea._

Away from all the action of the arm-wrestling, Virion sat with a cup of tea in his hands, and across from him, a young woman, about nineteen years old, with long, dull brown hair that was braided slightly in the front. Her eyes were of the same color as her hair, but, oddly enough, Drake noticed that they glimmered in a manner that spoke of a person who lacked experience, but was bursting with potential. Her lavender armor was the same style as the red-haired beauty's, so Drake assumed they were both trained in the same manner.

_Though why she's here and not the red-haired beauty is beyond me._

The last thing he noticed was the size of the room. It. Was. Huge! The main room had about six doors leading to different rooms, though where most of them lead was unknown to Drake, and there was a kitchen built within the left half of the main entrance, which was obviously the den. The strange thing was, there was a giant suit of armor, completely silver except for some bands of gold on the pauldrons, situated right in the middle of the kitchen.

Before Drake could ask Lissa about the armor, he was shoved aside by an eighteen year old girl, with blonde hair tied in pigtails and piercing ruby-red eyes. Her dress style was similar to Lissa's, pinning her as a noble, except she wore mostly pink riding clothes in comparison to Lissa's sunflower yellow Cleric dress.

"Lissa, my darling!" the blonde noblewoman exclaimed, grasping both of Lissa's hands in her own. "Are you all right? I have been on pins and needles waiting for your return." The woman released Lissa's hands, and then proceeded to circle the princess, her parasol swinging in her hand the whole time. "You were not injured at all during the expedition? Harassed by strangers? Defiled by the very elements themselves?"

"I'm fine, Maribelle," Lissa replied, sighing tiredly. "Really, I can handle a few days of camping." The blonde Fighter looked up from his match, and waved to Lissa.

"Hey, squirt!" he said loudly. "How've you-!" Sully took the opportunity to slam the Fighter's hand to the table, consequentially flipping the man out of his chair and onto the floor with a large thud. Drake cringed slightly at the sight; he knew Sully was strong, but not that strong.

"Yeah!" Sully cried out, punching a fist into the air. "Five in a row!" The Fighter groaned from his position on the ground, and rose to a sitting position, rubbing his right shoulder.

"Bah, Teach just went easy on ya, Sully," he said, slowly standing. He grinned widely, and walked towards Lissa. "So squirt, where's Chrom? You were gone for so long that I thought he'd gotten captured, and without ol' Teach there to bail him out, who knows what would've happened?" Lissa snickered for a moment after 'Teach' had finished.

"So it's 'Teach' now, is it Vaike?" she said in a mocking tone. "I thought you had to be born without brains, but you can teach it?" The man, Vaike, jabbed his thumb into his chest in a triumphant manner.

"Ha! Don't go underestimatin' the Vaike!" His eyes seemed to sparkle with pride, before Lissa's words registered in his mind. "Wait...Was that an insult?!" Lissa giggled lightly, but, before she could continue to jab at Vaike's pride, the brunette woman, having noticed the princess, turned and approached them, stopping about five feet from them.

"Beg pardon, but when may we see the Captain, Lissa?" the woman asked. Her voice grew softer as she finished her question, betraying a decent amount of nervousness, something Drake picked up on. Maribelle rolled her eyes, and tapped her parasol against the wooden floor.

"Poor Sumia," she said both compassionately and sarcastically. "She has been beside herself with concern for Chrom. Her eyes never left the horizon, as she waited for any sign of his return." Her tone of voice irritated Drake, and he immediately decided that he didn't like this girl at all.

"Aww, that's so sweet of you to care, Sumia," Lissa said, trying her best not to giggle. Sumia blushed profusely.

"Well, I...That is...He's our Captain, and the Prince, so of course I was worried!" she stammered out, her face blushing even more than it was previously.

"So, who's the new guy?" Vaike asked, gesturing towards Drake. That is, until Sully slapped him with the back of her hand.

"What the hell's wrong with ya memory, you damn idiot?" she asked the Fighter as he massaged his head. "This is the guy I was telling you about. The one who helped Chrom save Southtown."

"Exactly!" Lissa exclaimed, her eyes sparkling again. "Everyone, this is Drake, the Shepherd's new Tactician! You should see the awesome tricks he's got up those sleeves!" Virion nodded slightly, his brow furrowed in annoyance upon recalling the events of last night.

"Oh yeah?" Vaike asked. "Can he do this?" Leaning back, he beat a fist on his chest, and released a hearty belch that lasted for around five seconds. Drake chuckled silently, deciding he liked the other man's friendly and carefree attitude.

"I can see you have much to teach me in the belching arts, o illustrious Vaike," the Tactician said, eliciting a glare from Maribelle.

"Vaike, that was abhorrent!" Maribelle all but shouted at the Fighter. "Must you baseborn oafs pollute even the air with your buffoonery!?" Suddenly, she turned on Drake, her parasol swinging right at his face. Had he not raised his arm to block it, he probably would've gotten a nasty scar, if not lose his right eye completely.

"And you! Do not encourage his grotesque behavior! I had hoped you were cut from finer cloth, but it seems my expectations were set much too high." Withdrawing her parasol from Drake's arm, she walked past him and out the door, away from the barracks.

_What did I do wrong?_ Drake thought to himself.

"Don't worry about Maribelle," Sumia said, placing a tentative hand on his shoulder. "She just...warms to people slowly."

"Or burns too quickly," Lissa interjected in a joking manner.

"And here I thought she was just a prissy snob..." Vaike muttered low enough so that only Drake could hear. The Tactician smiled; he definitely felt that the two of them could be great friends.

"I just hope that she will warm up to me: I'd rather not have infighting within the Shepherds. Anyways, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintances!"

* * *

The rest of the morning and the beginning of the afternoon were mostly filled with Drake and his new comrades idly talking with each other, with Drake learning what each was capable of in battle, how they all joined the Shepherds, and their favorite pastimes, among other things. The part that Drake was dreading the most was explaining that he was an amnesiac, and how the others would react. His fears were assuaged, however, when Sully told him that she had told them everything, and, just like her, they all believed him (except Maribelle, who wasn't around to hear Sully's explanation at the time, according to Sumia).

After the conversation died down, and lunch had been served by Lissa, which caught Drake completely off guard, most of the Shepherds separated, with Lissa heading back to the castle, and Sumia, Vaike, and Sully headed for the town to stock up on more supplies, much to Sully's chagrin. Drake had decided to practice his skills with the blade in the small training yard behind the barracks.

Taking one of the many wooden blades from a rack by the door, he set up three training dummies, each one holding a sword, and tapped his blade against the side of one sword. Leaping back, he thrust his weapon into the first dummy's torso, before side-slashing through it and knocking the second dummy's blade out of its hand. Kicking off of it to keep up momentum, he delivered a powerful uppercut swing to the last standing dummy, and not only cleaved it in two, but shattered his own training weapon as well.

"Well I'll be damned!" Drake turned around to find Sully standing in the doorway, an apple in her hand. Setting it down on the windowsill, she walked up to the Tactician, and lightly slapped his shoulder. "Who would've thought that you had the strength to shatter a wooden sword into so many damn pieces!"

"Yeah, my bad," Drake chuckled nervously. "Honestly, I didn't even mean for that to happen. It just kind of...did." Sully laughed, and drew her lance, stabbing it into the ground.

"How's about a little competition, Drake? You against me, last man standing, training weapons only." Drake opened his mouth to object, but he closed it almost immediately afterwards. He figured that this would be the perfect opportunity to see his comrade's fighting style firsthand, figure out her strengths and weaknesses, and offer advice if necessary. Turning his head towards the weapons racks, Drake nodded.

"You want to use a sword or a lance?"

* * *

The sun was nearing the horizon when Vaike and Sumia returned to the barracks, laden with supplies. Or at least, Vaike was laden with supplies. Sumia had dumped everything she was supposed to carry onto him, and she was now reading the newest book in the 'Wyvern Wars' series. She was about halfway done with the second chapter when they entered, only to find the den empty.

"Where is everyone?" Vaike asked to no one in particular. "Don't tell me they went out for dinner an' didn't invite ol' Teach?" Sumia drew a bookmark from the front cover of her book and marked her page, before setting it down on the center table, alongside the supplies. Suddenly, she heard the distinct thud of wood on wood, and looked out to the training field. She motioned for Vaike to follow her, and the two went outside, and stood alongside Virion.

"What's going on, Virion?" Vaike asked the Archer. Virion simply pointed out to the field, and Vaike glanced over, and his jaw dropped.

Drake and Sully were dancing around each other, their training blades slashing at fast speeds, like a warhorse in full gallop. They were fighting with their all, neither seeming to tire, and unwilling to surrender. Drake's blade came at Sully's hip, only for her to swiftly parry it, and she countered with a swift thrust. He spun to the left, dodging the attack, and uppercutting her to throw her off balance. She blocked with her sword, and the fight continued.

"The lovely Sully and our brilliant Tactician Drake have been fighting each other for over three hours, nonstop," Virion explained. He sipped his chamomile tea, contemplating who the victor would be.

"How many rounds have they each won?" Virion turned to Sumia, and shook his head slowly.

"This is still the first battle, my dear Sumia. Neither one has dealt a blow to the other at all." She gasped, and quickly mouthed 'No way.' Vaike, however, was hooting and hollering, waiting to see who would win.

"Yeah, get 'em, Sully! Give him a blade to the knee that he'll never forget! Whack him, smack him, throw him to the ground!"

The result, however, was not what any of the three Shepherds expected it to be. Drake bounced off a nearby pillar, after having been shoved back by Sully's latest attack, and swung his blade as fast and hard as he could. Sully lifted her blade to block, and the two weapons collided with such force that it sent dust flying off the ground and into a ring around the two combatants. As it settled, Virion, Sumia, and Vaike saw that both blades had been shattered, with the wooden shards scattered at Drake and Sully's feet.

The two combatants stared at their weapons for a moment, before bursting into laughter. "I can't believe ya managed to break both of them with one damn swing!" Sully exclaimed after calming down, before sticking her hand out. "You're all right, Bumblebee." Drake took Sully's hand in his own, and shook it.

"Well, it seems you've been busy, Drake." Drake and the Shepherds turned towards the doorway leading to the stables, and there stood Chrom and Lissa, their eyes seeming to glow in admiration for the Tactician.

"Ah, Captain!" Sumia exclaimed, blushing profusely. "I was…I mean we were…" Sumia started to approach Chrom, when, suddenly, she tripped on a training lance that no one ever noticed was there, and tumbled into a weapons rack.

"Sumia!" Chrom, Drake, and Lissa cried out. Chrom ran over to the fallen pile of training weapons faster than Drake could react, and moved a few away to reveal the dazed brunette.

"Owww…" Sumia moaned slightly, rubbing her thigh. Chrom breathed a sigh of exasperation-or was it relief?-and, taking Sumia by her arm, pulled her to her feet in a manner not unlike when a warrior had bested an opponent in a duel. And yet, Drake noticed that Chrom was pulling her up slowly, gently, almost like they were in…

_What the hell am I thinking?!_ Drake thought, subtly shaking his head. _There's no way that's possible. I can't just make assumptions about the Prince._ His gaze quickly fell on Vaike, who was silently snickering and making kissy faces in Chrom's direction.

"You're not hurt, are you?" Chrom asked Sumia, their faces nearly inches from each other as he inspected her face, to make sure she wasn't hurt. She nodded, mumbling something unintelligible. His eyes seemed to glisten with concern. "Those boots of yours bothering you again?" Another nod from the brunette.

"Yes…" she said softly, before vigorously shaking her head. "I mean no! I mean…" She sighed, before blushing even more profusely than before, and looking away from Chrom. The Prince seemed to remember where he was, and backed away, content at finding Sumia unharmed.

"So, what are our orders, Captain? Out with it, damn it!" Sully exclaimed, digging her spear out from where she had planted it, three hours earlier. Chrom turned to the Shepherds, his face growing serious.

"We're moving out to Regna Ferox first thing tomorrow morning to petition the Khan for soldiers." Chrom nodded as he saw the confused looks he was getting, mostly from Vaike. "Yes, Vaike, normally the Exalt would go and make the request in person. However, given the current political climate, we thought it best for her to stay here and reassure the people.

"Now, this mission is strictly voluntary. I'll not force anyone-!" Lissa shot her hand up, cutting her brother off.

"I volunteer!" she exclaimed, and Drake noticed that she had somehow managed to walk over to his side without him noticing.

_How did she do that?_ he thought.

"Yeah, count me in!" Vaike hollered, pumping the air with a fist. "You're not ditchin' ol' Teach so easily this time, Chrom!"

"Like I said, Captain," Sully said, thumping her chestplate with a gloved hand, "I ain't letting you out of my sight again. There's no way in hell I'll miss any of the fun!"

Virion sighed, placing his hand on his forehead. "I suppose I'll come, as well. It would probably aid your cause to have some modicum of nobility at your side." Sully backhanded him across his forehead, and hissed something about 'stuffing his bib down his throat if he insulted Chrom ever again.'

Drake shrugged as Chrom turned to him expectedly. "Well, you can't go running off without your new Tactician, right?" he asked rhetorically. Sumia took the moment to cough quietly, drawing Chrom's attention.

"Captain, I'd like to come along as well. But I…I don't…I don't think I'm…Ready for…Combat…Just yet…" Drake could tell she was trying to hold back tears, and made a mental note to talk with Sumia, and help her build up confidence. Chrom smiled sympathetically, and took her chin in the palm of his hand, softly raising her head so that he could look at her eyes.

"Sumia…" he said, pausing for a moment, as if unsure of how to proceed, or just picking his words carefully. "I understand completely. You can keep to the rear and watch us. But there will come a day when you have to fight to protect something or someone close to you. Just stay close to me and you'll be fine." Sumia's eyes brightened significantly after hearing Chrom's words.

"Yes, of course!" she nearly squealed with joy, before composing herself. "I mean…Yes, Captain!" Robin noticed that Vaike had continued the silent snickering, and now Lissa was joining him, which confirmed his suspicions about Chrom and Sumia.

_Great,_ he thought, _I'm barracked up with a lovesick teenager as a captain. What could possibly go wrong?_

**FINALLY! After an entire month full of delays, including, but not limited to: school, a wedding in Colorado, school, fracturing my wrist, and school (did I mention school?), Chapter Four is finally finished! As with most Author's Notes at the end, there are a few things I'd like to point out.**

**First, I'd like to thank a close friend of mine for the OC of Grant (you'll know who you are when you read this).**

**Second, I'd like to know something…AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO HATED MARIBELLE THE MOMENT SHE WAS INTRODUCED TO THE STORY, OR AM I JUST PARANOID?! Seriously, as soon as I read her first line in Chapter Two, she appeared to be a completely arrogant b****, and I almost never used her at all. If she weren't such a good healer, I would've benched her for the whole game!**

**Third, the amulet Drake receives from Lissa has meaning. It's actually based off of an amulet my grandmother bought me when she visited Ireland a while back. Also, I added this little detail so that my Avatar isn't like every single other out there. But what about the fact that Lissa bought it for ****him****? Make your own assumptions, readers.**

**Fourth, is it me, or did I make Sully swear just a bit too much in this chapter? I dunno.**

**Fifth, for those of you who don't know French, Chez pretty much means "At the home of" (I think...My French is a bit rusty: please feel free to correct me).**

**Finally, YES, this is another Chrom/Sumia Fanfiction. Like I said before, it's MY story, so I'll pair the characters up how I want. Besides, they are literally CANON! That ain't Maribelle standing beside Chrom on Ylisstol Castle's balcony in the opening sequence. Or Sully. Or Olivia. Or a female Avatar.**

**Next time, we delve into my least favorite chapter (joy…) and meet up with two new Shepherds. Until next time, this is the Servant of Grima signing out.**

**Chrom: "Please rate, review, favorite, and follow our tale. That's a royal decree."**

**P.S. If I EVER make another reference to the Skyrim meme "Arrow To The Knee" in any form EVER again, in the name of Naga and Grima, someone PLEASE slap me…**


	5. Chapter 5

Fire Emblem Awakening: Chronicles of the Fell Dragon War

**Author's Note: So, Chapter Four focuses on the ****actual**** second Chapter of the game-not any character introductions (besides Stahl and Miriel). But this Chapter. This…Grima…Forsaken…CHAPTER…I really did not like the second Chapter in the game. While the fight on the Northroad did introduce the Auto-Battle command (which I never use, at all), I feel that it was just used as filler (and an excuse to introduce Stahl and Miriel…Not that they're bad, mind you, but come on. I mean, they could've just very well have been introduced in the beginning cutscene of Chapter Two, or in the next Chapter and the story wouldn't have been affected much…and I'm just ranting now, so I'll shut up).**

**Anyway, let's get this over with so we can proceed to the more fun chapters.**

**BTW, I kept forgetting to put this in the other chapters, so I'll start here: All rights are reserved by Nintendo and Intelligent Systems. I do not own any of the characters, places, or names (except for my OC's).**

**Chapter Four**

The first rays of the morning sun shone brightly onto the cobblestone streets of Ylisstol, where a few early risers were just starting the day. A few shops opened their windows, displaying their wares for the people on the streets. Neighbors greeted each other warmly, idly chatting about the most random of things. The sweet aroma of sugar and flames filled the air, coming from a small, yet very popular, bakery not even a block and a half away from the barracks, 'The Laguz Den'. The bakery's door swiftly opened, the small bell on it ringing, as Lissa rushed out, half a croissant in her hand.

"Thank you, Miss Lissa!" the baker inside called out to the princess, as she turned down the main street and ran towards the barracks. Taking a large chunk out of her cinnamon pastry, she dashed past the stores and open-air stalls, only stopping once to admire a pair of embroidered gloves that caught her eye.

_I hope I'm not late,_ she frantically thought as she mentally berated herself for not having a maid wake her up sooner. Reaching the barracks, she burst into the den, and was about to frantically apologize for being late, when she noticed that the den was empty. Sighing inwardly to herself, she turned to leave, only to stop when she heard a light breathing coming from the storage area. It sounded like someone had fallen asleep in there. _Probably Vaike: he did have a couple of mugs of ale last night._

Her curiosity piqued, Lissa quietly walked up to the storage area, and opened the door. There, she saw Drake leaning against a box filled with Tomes, a pencil and a pad of paper in one hand, deep in sleep. Lissa tip-toed up to the sleeping Tactician, and swiftly slipped the paper from his hand. Looking at it, she saw what appeared to be a rough map of their marching route to Regna Ferox, as well as a list of supplies that everyone would be bringing.

"Drake…" she whispered to herself, "Did you stay up half the night planning all this out?" She looked back at the Tactician, and a light blush came to her cheeks. "You look so peaceful. Maybe I should just…Quietly…Gently…" A small, devilish smirk came to her face, and she reached down to Drake's face and pinched his nose. A few seconds filled with silence passed, then…

"BWARGH!" Drake cried out, throwing his head back to escape whatever was suffocating him, and slamming his head against the wooden box in the process. "Owww…" Slowly opening his eyes, he saw Lissa rolling on the floor in front of him, trying unsuccessfully to contain her laughter.

"'BWARGH?!'" she giggled, clutching her sides tightly as she stood. "Ah hahaha! That was priceless!" Drake groaned inwardly: he had spent half the night planning the expedition to Regna Ferox, and he was just getting some much-needed sleep when Lissa disturbed him.

"Damn it, Lissa, what was that for?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head gingerly. Lissa smiled innocently, twirling a few strands of hair around her finger.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Drake growled softly.

"You know full well what I mean, Lissa." Lissa ignored him and placed a small, neatly wrapped package on a box next to Drake, before turning and moving to the door.

"I brought you something to eat, you know." Turning her head, she stared at the Tactician, feigning offense. "You could at least be a little bit thankful. Anyways, you should eat up fast, we're moving out soon." She turned and left, leaving Drake all alone in the storage area. Taking the small package, he unwrapped it to find a sweet roll glazed over with couverture chocolate. Drake also caught the scent of honey wafting up from inside it, causing his stomach to growl hungrily. Breaking off a decent-sized piece, he popped it into his mouth.

_Eh, needs more chocolate,_ he thought as it slid down his throat, leaving a very sweet aftertaste on his tongue that didn't seem to agree with him. _And a lot less honey; this is way too sweet._

* * *

"Okay…Whose bright idea was it to set out at around nine in the morning?" Drake yawned loudly. The Shepherds, minus someone named Miriel, who would be catching up to them in a while, had set out for the Longfort an hour ago, and the monotonous scenery of the forest path they were travelling through, in addition to his all-nighter, were nearly lulling Drake to sleep again. It was taking all of his willpower just to keep his eyes open and not run into any trees.

"I'm pretty sure it was yours, Drake," Chrom said as he slowed down to walk in pace with his Tactician. "You had said something along the lines of 'Covering as much distance as possible'." From behind him, Drake heard Lissa giggling, and he cursed himself. Why he decided staying up for most of the night before the start of an expedition was a good idea, he would never figure out.

"Shut up, Chrom," he growled without malice, before picking up his pace to walk alongside the small caravan that was carrying their excess supplies: spare weapons, food, bedrolls, and other essentials. Drake saw Sumia leaning against the inner right side of the caravan as he passed, engrossed in her book. _Sheesh,_ he thought, _I don't think I've seen her put that book down since we started this trek._ Virion also lay inside the wagon, fiddling with the string of his bow like it was a sitar. Looking ahead, he saw Vaike flexing his arms as they walked, oblivious to the world around him.

Soon, the Shepherds passed through the forest and into an open field, with a small farm off in the distance. Looking towards Sully, Drake nodded his head, and the Cavalier galloped ahead with Frederick to scout out the path. Scanning the horizon, Drake saw nothing out of the ordinary, and was about to continue on his way when a voice called out to them from the forest.

"Wait up, guys! Don't leave without me!" Seconds later, a young man of about twenty-one years of age came running up to them, while he led a horse by its reins behind him. Sweat glistened off of his pale green hair, and his eyes, which were very close to being the same color, looked tired, almost as if he had just woken up within the hour. His armor looked to be similar to Sully's, signifying him to be another Cavalier, except his was a dark green with a couple pale tan circles on the leftmost pauldrons instead of Sully's red set.

The green armored knight approached the Shepherds, before bending over and panting. He had obviously covered the distance from the castle to their current location in a matter of minutes. "Why…Why am I…The last one to…To hear about…The mission?" Lissa took her water canteen from her hip and gave it to the Cavalier, who drank greedily from it.

"Vaike was supposed to tell you last night…" she said, replacing the cap on the canteen. Chrom groaned softly, and turned to Vaike, who had just come back from ahead to see what the commotion was about.

"Vaike…" Chrom growled, "Did you forget to tell Stahl when we were moving out?" The Fighter reeled back in shock, almost as if he had been accused of a murder he had witnessed, yet took no part in.

"What the…Are you crazy, Chrom?!" he exclaimed, his thumb jabbed into his chest, "The Vaike never forgets!" Seconds later, he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "He just doesn't always remember, that's all."

Drake walked up to the Cavalier, who looked visibly tired. "It's Stahl, right?" Stahl looked up at the Tactician, and a look of recognition-and maybe a hint of admiration-sparked through his eyes.

"Yes sir, that's my name," he said, his tiredness seeming to have vanished instantaneously. "And you must be the new Tactician, Drake." Stahl grasped Drake's hand and shook it vigorously. "Sully told me a lot about you. I must admit, I was kind of surprised that you managed to beat her in a sparring match." Drake laughed at the compliment, even if it was only half true.

"To be honest, Stahl, I didn't actually beat her. Our weapons shattered, so it was a tie in the end." Drake's eyes flashed into a more serious gaze as he finished speaking. "Anyways, I think Sully and Frederick would appreciate an extra set of eyes helping them scout the path ahead." Stahl nodded, needing no more instructions, and mounted his steed, before riding ahead of the group.

"Hey, Chrom?" Drake turned to the Prince after Stahl was gone, his face a mixture of curiosity and confusion. "If Stahl had a horse, why did he run all the way from the castle?" Drake's question caught the Prince by surprise, before he and Lissa burst into laughter.

"Stahl can be a bit…airheaded at times," Lissa said after calming down, although her voice was still tinged with giggles. "But he's got good swordsmanship and can handle a lance decently well-though not as well as Sully. He's also a really great cook, so at least we won't starve when he's around."

"Well, that's good," Drake said, "Because I'm fairly certain that we'd all die of food poisoning if we let Vaike handle the meals." Everyone except Vaike laughed at Drake's humorous insult to Vaike's pride. The group then moved onward, and after another ten minutes, they caught up to Frederick, Sully, and Stahl, who were waiting for them on a hill, each with a worried look on their faces. Chrom and Drake knew something was up, and rushed to the rider's sides.

"What happened, Frederick?" the Prince asked, his voice going from carefree to authoritative in mere moments.

"A group of those monsters are lazing around about a hundred meters up ahead, milord," Frederick responded. Drake looked down, and sure enough, he could see around twenty-seven of the monsters from two days ago milling around on the other side of a river, over which a bridge crossed.

"Damn it, have the Risen spread this far already?" Chrom cursed. Drake looked at the Prince, a look of confusion lining his face.

"Risen?" he asked.

"That's what the council decided to call those monsters from two days ago," Chrom explained as he effortlessly drew Falchion from its scabbard. "To be honest, giving the monsters a name was the only thing the council could agree upon, besides the organization of this expedition."

Drake nodded, and turned back to the other Shepherds, calling them forward with a wave of his hand. When they were all gathered around, he explained the situation. "Alright, guys, listen up. I assume Sully told you about the creatures that attacked me, Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick?" Every head nodded in affirmation. "Good, then I don't have to spend time explaining about them. To make a long story short, there's a group of them about a hundred meters north of us, just milling around. If they're anything like what we dealt with last time, however, once they get into a fight, that'll all change.

"Now, the Risen outnumber us three to one. But, we have the advantage when it comes to strength, so that balances the odds somewhat. However, I've come up with a new battle formation that may help us in the future, and I have Virion and Sully to thank for the idea." As the Archer and the red Cavalier looked at him in confusion, Drake turned to them and explained.

"Remember two days ago, Sully? You came crashing through the trees with Virion riding alongside you. That's what spawned the idea. Anyways, the formation is thus: two people work alongside each other in battle, complementing each other's strengths and covering each of their weaknesses. Honestly, I don't have a name for it yet, so for now, we'll call it the 'Pair Up' system. Everyone still with me?" After everyone nodded their heads, Drake walked over to the caravan, extracted a large sheet of grid paper and a pencil from one of the boxes inside, and returned to the gathered Shepherds, ready to explain his battle plan.

"Alright, here's what the battlefield looks like," he stated as he drew a winding river through the center of the paper, and thirty-six circles, set in two groups: one of twenty-seven, representing the Risen, and the other nine being the Shepherds. "Stahl and Sully, you two will come in from the sides, and crash through the group, hopefully dwindling their numbers by at least a third, before circling back behind them, and pairing up for the battle. Frederick will then charge in from the front, alongside his partner, Lissa, with Chrom and Vaike following close behind. Virion and I will stay away from the battle, fighting at long-range." After mapping out a rough diagram of the battle's initial moves, Drake turned to Frederick, his eyes ablaze with concern and authority.

"Frederick, your priority is to keep Lissa safe at any cost; she's our only healer, not to mention the Princess of Ylisse. If these Risen have an intelligent leader, it'll have these monsters go after her or Chrom. Vaike," Drake turned towards the Fighter as he said his name, "You need to keep Chrom safe, got that?" Vaike nodded, reaching for his axe.

"Ha, don't ya worry, Drake! Those Risen will be runnin' fer the hills once they feel the sting of my-!" Suddenly, Vaike's face changed from one of eagerness to one of confusion and shock. "Wait…Where's my axe?!" Drake facepalmed himself.

"Vaike, please tell me you're kidding here…" he muttered. Vaike's frantic turning showed otherwise.

"I'm serious, it was here just a minute ago!" Drake growled softly in irritation.

"Damn it…Fine then, change of plans. Vaike, you stay here and keep Sumia safe. I'll team up with Chrom, and Virion will keep Lissa under his watchful eye. Frederick, can you handle being alone?" A nod from the Great Knight answered the question. "Good. Sully and Stahl, your part will remain the same." Vaike looked like he was about to object, but was cut off as Drake turned on him.

"Before you say anything Vaike, let me ask you: do you know why I'm having you stay back here?" Vaike nodded his head.

"'Cause I lost my axe, and this is Teach's punishment." Surprisingly, Drake shook his head and placed a gentle hand on the Fighter's shoulder, squeezing it in a reassuring manner.

"That's a very, very small part of it. The main reason is because, without me or Virion here, there's no one to keep Sumia safe from harm. Vaike, you may not be fighting today, but you have the most important part of this plan right now. Don't let me down, okay?" Drake then lowered his voice so only Vaike could hear him. "Besides, we wouldn't want Chrom to feel depressed if his girlfriend died, huh?" Vaike chuckled silently, before nodding.

"Yeah, you're right, Drake. Thanks." He then stood up, and took Sumia over to the caravan, where the two sat down and waited. Drake turned towards the remaining Shepherds, the gentleness of his eyes replaced by a fiery determination.

"Everyone else, get into position!" The Shepherds moved to their designated locations: Virion took Lissa to a small grouping of trees about forty yards away, his recurve bow already strung and nocked, Stahl and Sully mounted their horses on either side of Frederick, and Chrom and Drake stood behind the Great Knight, their blades drawn and at the ready. The Shepherds waited in tense anticipation, the only sounds being the soft whisper of the spring winds, and the moans of the Risen that the winds carried.

"Sully, Stahl, now!" Drake broke the silence with a sharp command. The two Cavaliers charged down the hill, and crashed through the horde effortlessly. As the two riders circled back around, Drake nodded, and Frederick charged down the hill, aiming for the bridge. As the Great Knight neared the mass, Drake saw that the initial charge had killed off only four of the Risen-three from Sully's side, and one on Stahl's-and inwardly cursed, before noticing three more fall to well-placed arrows, courtesy of Virion's deadly accuracy.

"Shall we?" Chrom asked the Tactician. Drake nodded, his eyes blazing.

"Let's." With a threatening cry that would have made the greatest of Barbarians proud, the Prince and his Tactician charged onward into the fray.

* * *

Back at the forest entrance, a woman of about twenty-four years of age emerged from the foliage, picking leaves out of her dark green, gold-bordered Mage robes and light auburn hair. She mumbled under her breath as she dusted her dull white trousers off, sending puffs of dust the same color as her boots into the air. Her maroon-red eyes flicked about in irritation, before settling on a nearby bush, in which a large, wide-brimmed witch's hat was half buried.

"I knew that attempting to manipulate a Wind incantation as a means of rendezvousing with the rest of the expedition was a horrendous idea," she muttered as she withdrew her hat from the brush, plucking out the twigs that were embedded in it before placing it on her head. Her red glasses slid down her nose as she did so, and she pushed them back up to the bridge of her nose. "Confounded ocular enhancers…I will have to concoct a method to prevent them from interacting with gravity." She looked around, her face having a look of confusion on it.

"Strange…I am fairly certain that the information given to me about the expedition's whereabouts was valid, yet they are not present." She shrugged her shoulders, before walking down the path. "It does not matter. If I follow this pathway, we will eventually convene with each other…" Suddenly, a shimmering gleam from the left caught her attention, and she paused in her movement. Her curiosity piqued, she walked closer to the gleam, and found it to be an Iron Axe-one that had seen better days, if the slightly worn head was any indicator.

"Ah, it appears that someone has lost a weapon…Perhaps it fell from the caravan, and no one noticed its disappearance." She grabbed the axe's handle, and walked away, planning to take it with her. "I believe that I will return this to its rightful-!" The Mage woman's arm was suddenly jerked back, and as she fell onto the ground, she looked back and saw that the axe had barely moved a millimeter from its original position.

"Ignorant weapon of iron and evergreen," she growled as she stood up and took the handle in both hands, "You will come along with me, or I will be forced to incinerate you!" The woman started to walk backwards, dragging the axe with her, slowly and arduously.

After five miles of arduous backpedaling, the woman saw what appeared to be a caravan ahead, as well as two figures-a man and a woman-nearby. Soon, she could hear the man's voice, and she knew immediately who it was.

_Vaike,_ she thought irritably.

* * *

"Come on, Teach, think!" Vaike said as he rapped his knuckles against his head, trying to jog his memory. "Where'd ya last have your axe?" He shook his head, his memory failing him again. He was about ready to give up, when he heard a woman's voice from his left.

"I was wondering what ignoramus would so carelessly mislay their weapon…Now I know." He turned and saw the woman carrying his axe along the ground, and a huge grin came to his face.

"Miriel!" he exclaimed, causing Sumia to look out from the caravan and wave to the Mage. Miriel came up to Vaike and forced the axe into his hands, before collapsing against the caravan, exhausted from her trek.

"Next time…You lose your…axe, Vaike…I will be forced…To permanently affixate…It to your…hands." Her panting caused Sumia to give her a waterskin, which Miriel took with much gratitude.

"Yes! Now Teach can go and give those Risen what for!" Before he could charge down the hill, Sumia grabbed ahold of his arm, and shook her head.

"No, Vaike," she said, her usual, timid voice replaced by one of seriousness, "Remember what Drake said? You have the most important job, and that's protecting me." Vaike stared at Sumia as if she were a whole different person, before nodding.

"Oh yeah, right." Miriel stood up then, and walked over to the hill's crest, viewing the battlefield below.

"So the others are down there, fighting against the new 'Risen' threat?" She asked no one in particular. She drew forth a light green Tome from her robes, before flicking it open to a page in the middle. "Perfect. Then I'll grant them some assistance with my magical abilities." She started muttering under her breath, and soon, runes formed around her, before flashing green and vanishing.

"Elwind!" Miriel cried out, and thrust her free hand forward. As she did so, small, curved wind blades shot towards the field, cutting some of the Risen in half. Smiling at the results, Miriel continued the onslaught.

* * *

Down on the field, Drake and Chrom saw the wind blades cut through five Risen near them, dwindling their numbers down to about eleven, including the three that Frederick had killed in his initial charge and the two slain by Chrom and Drake. The Tactician had to admit, these Risen were a lot stronger than last time.

"Well," Chrom said, looking up to the hill, "Seems like Miriel finally caught up to us." Drake had no idea who Chrom was talking about, but decided to refrain from asking.

"Now's not the time to be distracted, Chrom!" Drake said, as he parried a sword strike that would've cleaved his head in two, before cutting the beast in half. Chrom nodded, kicking an axe-wielder away.

"You're right. We need to find the leader and kill him…" The two swordsmen heard a low, guttural growl from behind them, and turned.

"Chrom, I think we found him." Standing only a few meters away was a large, muscular Risen, although it wasn't like the one that they had seen last time. This one seemed more human than monster, but it still had piercing red eyes, and instead of claws, this one wielded a large, toothed axe that seemed to drip with a dark green ichor. As it stared at the Prince and the Tactician, its mouthed moved, and it spoke.

"_**Kill…Prince…Kill…Prince…"**_ it growled, its guttural voice making the statement all the more unnerving. As the Prince and the Tactician raised their blades in response to the threat, the Risen Chief unleashed a mighty roar that would have caused even the mightiest of warriors to shake with a visceral fear. The beast then charged at the pair, bringing its axe down swiftly. Drake jumped away from the attack, while Chrom sidestepped around the beast, and slashed at its unprotected back, wounding it. The beast screamed in agony, yet it did not fall, even as Chrom dealt two strong blows to its shoulder and hip. The Risen took a swing at Chrom, forcing him to block with Falchion.

The strike was so strong, however, that it sent the sacred blade flying out of Chrom's hands and into the body of a smaller Risen about ten meters away. Drake rushed at the beast, stabbing it through the wound on its shoulder. He heard a cracking noise coming from the area, and he knew that the bone within was shattered. The Risen Chief turned at him, its eyes dimmer than before, yet still intimidating.

"_**Kill…Prince…Kill…Chosen…One…"**_ the beast growled, before swinging its axe one-handed at the Tactician, only for him to duck and roll underneath the attack, and slash at the beast's hamstrings, and then pierce its heart. The monster stood still for a few moments, before it fell, its axe falling just out of its reach.

"_**Kill…Prince…Kill…"**_ the beast groaned as the light vanished from its eyes and it dissipated into a cloud of purple mist.

"Am I the only one who thinks that it's creepy when they do that?" Drake asked no one in particular. Chrom came rushing back over, having gone to retrieve Falchion, and the two watched as the last of the Risen fell now that they were leaderless.

_So the Risen seem to be stronger when they have someone leading them,_ Drake thought. _That's good to know…_

"Good riddance," Chrom said, breaking Drake's thought process. "At least this group won't harm anyone else." The Tactician nodded, and shot a small bolt of Thunder into the air, signaling for the Shepherds to reconvene.

As the group gathered in the field, Vaike saw the deadly-looking axe, and picked it up out of curiosity. "Well, look at that!" he said, his eyes lit up like a child on Christmas Day, "Now this is an axe!"

"Vaike, put that down!" Drake yelled at the Fighter. "That's a Risen weapon; we don't know what it's come into contact with!" Vaike waved him off.

"Doesn't seem that dangerous to me. 'Sides, my old axe is in pretty bad shape, so I need a replacement, an' this one fits the bill just right!" Drake was about to argue that the whole thing was covered in a potentially deadly toxin, when he saw that the axe was no longer coated in ichor, but rather a fluid that looked akin to honey.

_Odd…_ he thought, _I was certain it had ichor on it. The coating must change with the wielder._

"Fascinating…This calls for experimentation." Drake's thoughts were broken as he saw a woman-he assumed that this was the 'Miriel' Chrom had mentioned-walk up and examine the axe. Dabbing a finger into the honey-like substance, Miriel tasted it, oblivious to the potential danger it may hold. "Amazing…It's sweet, just like sugar. I wonder…"

Before anyone could object, Miriel drew a red Tome from her robes, and cast a spell from the beginning of it. As the runes circled around her, the intricate shapes flashing red in a mysterious rhythm, a small flame formed in her free hand. Lifting the flame up to the axe, everyone watched as the substance ignited, surrounding the weapon in flames.

"Ah yes, just as I had predicted. It seems we've discovered one of the Elemental Regalia: the blazing axe known as 'Firebleeder'." Drake approached the woman, his face quizzical.

"Would you happen to be Miriel?" She nodded.

"Yes, that would be my name. And am I right to assume that you are Drake, our new strategist whom Sully speaks so highly of?" The Tactician nodded in affirmation.

"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Perfect!" Miriel said, clapping her hands together. "I am looking forward to cooperating alongside you so that we may create flawless battle stratagems." Miriel then walked back towards the caravan, completely oblivious to Drake's stare. He then turned to Vaike, who had sheathed his axe away and had discovered that the flames disperse naturally.

"Does she always use such large words when she speaks?" The Tactician asked Vaike. The Fighter nodded. Drake groaned inwardly. "How is it that anyone can understand her?"

"Alright, Sumia, Virion, Miriel, Lissa, take to the caravan and rest up. Everyone else, let's move!" Shouts of affirmation echoed throughout the group, and they were moving on within a minute, continuing the march to Regna Ferox.

* * *

The group made it about halfway to the Longfort before the sky grew too dark for them to continue marching. After setting up camp and having dinner (no bear this time, to Lissa's relief), the Shepherds headed for their bedrolls, with Drake taking first watch. As the Tactician stared up at the stars, he let his mind wander.

_Well,_ he thought, _Today's been hectic-not that I have anything to compare today to. Meeting new faces, finding an apparently legendary weapon, encountering more of those monsters…_He stopped for a moment, thinking back to what the Risen Chief had said. _Kill the Chosen One? I wonder who that could be. Ugh, so many questions without answers…_

"Hey, Drake?" Sumia's voice cut through his mind as he turned and saw the young brunette walking over towards him, something obviously bugging her. "Do you mind if I…" The Tactician nodded, patting the log he was sitting on.

"Sure, Sumia." She nodded her thanks, and sat down. The two Shepherds stared at the stars for a few minutes, before Sumia broke the silence.

"Drake, do you think you could teach me how to fight?" The question caught Drake off guard, and he struggled with an answer for a few moments, before he came up with a question.

"What made you decide this so suddenly?" Sumia didn't answer for a few moments, and Drake was worried he had offended her. Before he could apologize to her, she started to cry.

"I…I just…" she stuttered, before curling herself into a ball. "I just don't want to be considered deadweight…I want to protect what matters to me…But I'm clumsy, everyone knows that! If I ask anyone else, they'll most likely refuse because my clumsiness could get someone hurt, or worse! I…I don't know what to do…" Drake looked at her in disbelief; how could she think she was nothing but deadweight? He stood up, and positioned himself in front of her, on her level. He placed his hands on her heaving shoulders, and spoke to her in a gentle, yet authoritative, manner.

"Sumia, look at me." The brunette moved her head so that only her tear-filled eyes could be seen over her arms. "Do you honestly believe that you're deadweight? Because I sure as hell can say otherwise." She stared at him, not believing what she was hearing. "If you really were deadweight, the would Chrom have allowed you to come along? Probably not. Yet the fact that he did shows that you are nowhere near to being called 'deadweight'.

"I can see it in your eyes, Sumia. You have great potential; it just needs to be unlocked. We just need to know what you excel in, and condition it until you become a great Shepherd. Am I making myself clear to you?" She nodded, and sniffed lightly, before pulling Drake into an embrace, one which he returned.

"Thank…Thank you…" she whispered, her voice practically emanating gratitude and joy. The Tactician nodded, and released her.

"Get some rest, we leave first thing in the morning."

**DAMN IT TO THE NINE HELLS, DRAKE! HOW COULD I BE SO INSENEITIVE?!**

**I am truly, truly sorry about the very large delay between chapters, folks. But this chapter just gave me so much trouble when it came to writing it, and school wasn't helping either. Most of the chapter, from the appearance of the Risen to the end, was all written over Thanksgiving weekend, so if it seems rushed at times, that's why (I really wanted to get this out before December). I will try my damned hardest to have the next chapter have less of a wait time behind it. Now, onto small facts about the chapter.**

**First, 'Firebleeder' and the Elemental Regalia. I wanted to add in at least a few weapons with elemental powers, and this is the first of four of said weapons (the other three coming much later). Anyone who objects will be ignored…And if anyone wants to know what Firebleeder looks like, just search for "Alatreon Weapons" in Bing Images, and it should be the fourth picture on the topmost row (Monster Hunter references FTW!).**

**Second, yes, the opening scene is my version of the Rank C Support Conversation between Lissa and the Avatar.**

**Third, Miriel was a very hard character to write, but SO MUCH FUN once I got it down! But, please tell me: did I use too many big words, or is she fine?**

**Fourth is a clarification about reviews. I appreciate them, but PLEASE DO NOT SPOIL ANYTHING ABOUT THE STORY OF Fire Emblem: Awakening, be it characters or events. It's just common courtesy.**

**Fifth, for those of you who are inevitably going to ask: yes, the Pair Up system isn't introduced until the third chapter in the game. But I already made a plan for that particular chapter, and it'll be a really short section of a larger chapter.**

**Finally, yes, Virion is using a recurve bow here. According to my research, a recurve bow has an effective range of about forty-five meters, and was more usable in brush and forest terrain than crossbows, longbows, and reflex bows (which were more suited for horseback). If I got any of that incorrect, please feel free to let me know.**

**Next time, we'll delve into the ending of Chapter Two, brush over Chapter Three with a segment that shows how epic Drake is when he's pissed, and start Chapter Four (hopefully). Until next time, this is the Servant of Grima, signing out.**

**Miriel: "I do believe it would be most prosperous if you fellow readers left critiques, favorites, and follows for this grand saga that the Servant of Grima is conjuring from the depths of his subconscious."**


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